The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/430118
24 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK With a host of recruits in town the week- end of Dec. 5-7, Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren could not help but reflect on what a difference a year has made in his program at NC State. The Pack has gone from a 3-9 campaign in 2013 to 7-5 a year later with an invite to the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl against Central Florida Dec. 26 in St. Petersburg, Fla. The game will be played at Tropicana Field at 8 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN. "A year ago we were very disappointed. Just one year later to be sitting at seven wins, to have won three of our last four, to have beaten the in-state opponents, to have a chance to win eight games has been great improvement," Doeren said. "I think we have grown a lot as a team, and our staff continues to jell well and work hard together. People around us have supported us throughout the process. "I feel really good about where we are headed and look forward to another op- portunity to get out on the field and earn another win." Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl executive director Brett Dulaney said that the ESPN- owned game shares Doeren's excitement about the Pack. He noted that NC State has been on their radar for about a month. "We weren't sure we were going to be able to get NC State," Dulaney noted. "If they were available, they were one of our final two. We're really lucky and blessed to have them." Dulaney noted that the trip to Florida will offer a chance to enjoy warmer tem- peratures for the holidays for both the State football team and fans. "Usually on Christmas, me and my fam- ily go to the beach because it's usually 70, 75 degrees," Dulaney added. "Bring a lot of shorts, bring some T-shirts. It's a little bit different from going to Detroit or out to Boise." One of the high- lights of the trip for the players will be a beach day where they get to spend around four hours hang- ing out on the Gulf of Mexico. There will be other planned events as part of the reward for being in a bowl, including a dinner cruise in Tampa Bay. Doeren, though, also knows there is the business of winning the bowl and getting an eighth win. He estimated they should get nine to 12 practices in before playing Central Florida, and admitted he would lean on defensive coordinator and lineback- ers coach Dave Huxtable, who served as UCF's defensive coordinator under head coach George O'Leary for six years from 2004-10. The Golden Knights won eight of their last nine games to finish 9-3 and 7-1 in the American Athletic Conference, co-sharing the league crown with M e m p h i s . U C F ended the year with a d r a m a t i c H a i l Mary win on the final play at East Caro- lina, stunning the Pirates 32- 30 Dec. 4 in Greenville, N.C. NCSU and Central Florida have a common opponent. Both teams played at South Florida this sea- son. NCSU won 49-17 Sept. 13 while UCF defeated the Bulls 16-0 Nov. 28. Among the highlights of Central Florida's season was a 31-24 overtime win versus BYU. The two teams have met twice before, both falling at home. UCF upset NC State 25-22 in 2007, and three years later the Pack won at UCF 28-21 against a Knights squad that would go on to win 10 games and beat Georgia in a bowl game. Now in his 11th season at UCF, O'Leary is 81-59 leading the Knights and will be looking to guide his program to a fourth straight bowl win. Last year, UCF finished the year ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press poll after upsetting Baylor in the Fi- esta Bowl. Doeren does not hide his respect for O'Leary. "He's done a tremendous job not just there but throughout his career as a football coach," Doeren said. "I know they'll be a fundamentally sound, tough, talented team. They are a nine-win opponent coming off a huge win over ECU. "It's a great opponent, which it should be when you get into a bowl game, to play somebody that you respect, and we defi- nitely respect them." — Matt Carter Wolfpack Bowling In St. Petersburg Head coach Dave Doeren guided the Wolfpack to a four-win improvement this season compared to last year, and the Pack earned a bid to the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl on Dec. 26. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN