The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547338
TRACKING THE PACK NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2026 ■ 19 [Dave] Doeren was the model of consistency for most of his ten- ure, posting 10 winning seasons and 11 bowl appearances in the last 12 seasons. He led NC State to four nine-win seasons, each tied for the second-best mark in program history. "However, NC State never quite got over the top under Doeren's leadership, leav - ing the late Chuck Amato's 2002 squad with Philip Rivers as the only 10-win team in school history. And as the NIL era got underway, Doeren struggled to keep the program moving forward." — Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports 99.9% Win probability, per ESPN Analytics, for NC State with six seconds remaining in the game at Vanderbilt Sept. 19. The Pack had the ball and a 31-28 lead but the Commodores forced and recovered a fumble in the end zone for the game-winning score in a stunning 35-31 vic- tory. The wild ending denied NC State its first road win against an SEC opponent since 1977. 83rd National ranking for NC State junior guard Paul McNeil Jr. in CBS Sports' pre- season Top 100 And 1 players for 2026-27. "McNeil emerged as one of the top three-point shooters in the nation during a breakout sophomore season, hitting 42.7 percent of his 7.2 tries per game," David Cobb of CBS Sports noted. "Convincing the 6-6 marksman to stick around was a big win for first-year coach Justin Gainey. Mc- Neil is the sort of off-ball threat the oppos- ing defense must always account for." 73 Points scored by NC State against Richmond Sept. 11, the most by any team in Carter-Finley Stadium history and NC State's highest total since 1920. The Wolfpack scored 10 touch- downs in the shutout victory, with a program- record eight of them coming on the ground. The NC State search could be the most intriguing one of the offseason. A big reason is that one of the program's most famous alums, former quarterback Philip Rivers, is a strong candidate for the job. … "The 44-year-old Rivers, the ACC Player of the Year in 2003, interviewed last off - season for the Buffalo Bills head-coaching vacancy that went to Joe Brady. We heard the Bills brass was very impressed with Rivers and his vision. … "Rivers' name and reputation could also help raise a lot of money to boost NC State's commitment to football, which is a bigger factor in a coaching search now than it was five or certainly 10 years ago. Not only could he rally the donors, but he could also give the fan base a much-needed jolt. Does he really want to go back to his alma mater and become a college coach in this era of the transfer portal and NIL?" — Bruce Feldman of The Athletic This guy eats free everywhere he goes, and we're the rock stars?" — ZOE BROOKS, responding to head coach Wes Moore's description of his players' popularity at ACC Tipoff Oct. 5 734 Total yards, a program record, generated by the Wolfpack football team against Richmond Sept. 11. NC State amassed 428 rushing yards and 306 passing yards, while limiting the Spiders to 110 total yards. NC State has not lacked for star talent through the years, but the Wolfpack's best product might not have been Philip Rivers or Russell Wilson — it might have been this Hargrave Military Academy product, who caught 150 balls for 2,703 yards in his last two seasons." — Bill Connelly of ESPN on TORRY HOLT being No. 25 on his list of the 60 best receivers of the last 50 years 98 Victories for Dave Doeren, the most by a head football coach in NC State history, ahead of Earle Edwards' 77. Doeren's 14-season tenure ranks second to Edwards' 17, while his 121 career victories — including 23 at Northern Illinois — ranked third among active ACC coaches before his dismissal, behind Clemson's Dabo Swinney (191) and Virginia Tech's James Franklin (133). PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS