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This isn’t the first time N.C. State football has experienced a disappointing result after a seemingly solid performance.
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The 24-17 loss to Clemson in 2016? The Tigers, led by quarterback Deshaun Watson, scored on the opening drive of overtime and intercepted quarterback Ryan Finley’s pass on the next play. That devastated the team, which lost its next three games and finished 7-6 that season.
N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren said he’s not going to let that happen again.
“I’ve learned a lot from that,” Doeren said. “With the team, we talked about it. I brought up that game to them, and how we can’t let one team get to the next game, the next game, the next game.”
The first step was providing public support for quarterback CJ Bailey. Doeren spent a large portion of his weekly press conference on Monday talking about Bailey, the final play in the team’s 35-31 loss to Vanderbilt, and providing perspective.
Doeren complimented Bailey, who appeared in 68 of the team’s 79 plays, and his overall performance. Two were bad. Bailey finished with 275 passing yards, three touchdowns, one interception and the end zone fumble. It was, by all accounts, a solid day.
“We wouldn’t have had 31 points if he hadn’t played the way he did,” Doeren said.
Doeren reiterated that the staff decided to take a safety and “milk the clock.” It was designed for Bailey to roll out of the pocket to his right, stay in the end zone and fall down when defenders got near him. He wasn’t supposed to take contact. The team would then deep squib kick the ball, if necessary, make a tackle and end the game.
He explained the staff preferred that option over the other — throwing the ball as far as possible.
“We’re on the right hash, which means you’re rolling out to a shorter space with a right arm quarterback. You’re throwing the ball up and out of your own end zone, hoping that the clock operator, being on the road, doesn’t hold the clock a little bit on you,” Doeren said. “If you do throw that and five seconds go off, they get the ball on the 2 (yard line), and just felt like that was a much riskier play in our own end zone than what we opted to do.”
Doeren did not mention taking a knee or having Bailey run out of the end zone. The team spends significant time on game-ending plays, Doeren said, so it felt prepared for the moment but did not execute.
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“When a play isn’t executed properly,” Doeren said, “there’s two things that are true: the player didn’t do what he was coached or trained to do, and the coach didn’t do a good enough job training the player to do what he wanted him to do.”
Doeren and Bailey have since spent time together, discussing the play, venting and taking a temperature check. They both shared what they’re feeling, Doeren said.
“He and I love each other and have a lot of respect for each other,” Doeren said. “I just wanted to make sure that we learn from what happened, and that I understand completely what was going on with him, how can we move forward and best use this as a galvanizing moment with our football team — he is an important leader for us, too, how he needed to carry himself — and the fact that the team would protect him and continue to support him.”
Center Spike Sowells, wide receiver Davion Dozier and tight end Vander Ploog did not appear for the Wolfpack on Saturday.
“Spike’s continuing to rehab. We were hopeful to have him in this game, but he just wasn’t ready yet, and so we’re going to keep working and hopefully get him back. He’s day-to-day,” Doeren said.
Dozier is also day-to-day. None of his imaging came back negative, and they will evaluate him.
Ploog, meanwhile, sustained an undisclosed injury in fall camp. He played against Virginia and Richmond but did not appear on Saturday. Doeren said he is still day-to-day.
“We’d really like to play him, but we’ve got to get him where he’s functional,” Doeren said. “Getting closer, I hope, but not there yet.”
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