The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1137844
36 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 BY MATT CARTER N C State head coach Dave Doeren is entering his seventh season in Raleigh on the heels of the first back-to-back nine-win seasons in Raleigh since the final two years of Dick Sheridan's tenure (1991-92). Doeren is aiming to continue the winning ways with a rebuilt offense led by new co- offensive coordinators Des Kitchings and George McDonald, who will start with trying to find a replacement for three-year starter Ryan Finley at quarterback. Redshirt sopho- mores Matt McKay and Bailey Hockman and freshman Devin Leary are in the competition for the job. Doeren met with The Wolfpacker in June to discuss this year's team. Here are highlights from that sit down. This is your third quarterback position battle since being at NC State. You had one in year one between Brandon Mitchell and Pete Thomas, and then in 2016 with Ryan Finley and Jalan McClendon. How does this compare to those? "I think it's more like the one we had with Ryan and Jalan, although there are more competing than there were in that one. We have someone in Matt who knows the of- fense like Ryan knew the offense at that time, which mentally puts them ahead. "But then there are physical things that the other guys have. We want to see if what they've learned from the spring, practiced all summer long and show in the fall, along with their strengths, pushes them past Matt or not. "Matt is operating in a different way. He's not thinking about what the play is — he's thinking about what the defense is doing. Those guys are still having to do both. It's unfair to make a decision when that's going on. "We said here's all the things you did do well and all the things you didn't do well. In the summer get that stuff right, and then let's see in the fall where it goes. The good thing is we have options. "I want to see the maturation process, and then there is the leadership aspect. Your quar- terback has to lead the offense. Who's going to play that role really well? Sometimes guys might play a little bit harder, and there's a lit- tle bit more buy-in with that kid on the field." HEAD COACH Q&A READY TO ROLL Head Coach Dave Doeren Is Hoping For More Explosive Runs On Offense And Increased Takeaways On Defense With four starters returning on offense and seven on defense, Doeren will try to win nine games for the third year in a row — a feat never accomplished at NC State. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN "I like our linebacker and DB depth on defense. On offense, our tight end and wide receiver depth are areas where I have the answers. I've seen enough to know we're going to be pretty good." ■ Doeren