The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545830
22 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN ave Doeren stood at mid- field of Raymond James Stadium with a glowing smile under a Tampa night sky. He looked down and admired the loot — aptly designed as a pirate's chest filled with beaded neck- laces and fake gold coins — that his NC State team earned after downing Mem- phis in the Gasparilla Bowl. Doeren soaked in the moment follow- ing a 24-point win over one of the Ameri- can Athletic Conference's top teams, but it had been a long road to this point. The Wolfpack had lost five consecutive post- season appearances, its most recent win coming in the 2017 Sun Bowl. There was also the up-and-down 2025 campaign in which the Pack dropped four of five games in the middle of the season before rallying to win four of the last five to earn eight wins for the eighth time in his first 13 years guiding the program. That's not including defensive coordi- nator D.J. Eliot losing his daughter, Drue, to metastatic Ewing sarcoma last Sep- tember, and the rumors of a possible re- tirement for Doeren at just 54 years old, which he quickly denied. In short, last fall could have been one of the tougher years for Doeren to manage. But after enduring so much in the three-month span, the veteran head coach sat in the bowels of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' home stadium with a greater sense of enjoyment in his job. "It was a fun team to coach," Do- eren said shortly after he walked off the field into the media room for his postgame press confer- ence. "The season went by re- ally fast, but these guys de- serve a lot of credit for their D NC State Football Schedule Date Opponent Time (TV) Aug. 29 at Virginia 3:30 p.m. (ESPN) Sept. 11 RICHMOND 7 p.m. (ESPNU) Sept. 19 at Vanderbilt 12:45 p.m. (SECN) Sept. 26 APPALACHIAN STATE TBA Oct. 3 LOUISVILLE TBA Oct. 10 WAKE FOREST TBA Oct. 23 at Stanford 10:30 p.m. (ESPN) Oct. 31 CALIFORNIA TBA Nov. 7 DUKE TBA Nov. 14 SYRACUSE TBA Nov. 21 at Florida State TBA Nov. 28 at North Carolina TBA FIGHTING FIGHTING SPIRIT SPIRIT A Reinvigorated Dave Doeren Gets Set To Lead NC State Into The 2026 Season Dave Doeren is preparing for his 14th season at NC State. He's compiled a 95-70 overall record and 51-55 mark in ACC play. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE FOOTBALL