NC State left Carter-Finley Stadium with a 31-28 upset over Louisville on Saturday, and Dave Doeren came out of it talking less about style points than survival, toughness and a handful of timely plays.
“We found a way to make a play when we needed it,” Doeren said after the Wolfpack held off the Cardinals. He praised a team that kept answering when the game tightened, then pointed to the moments that swung it back NC State’s way.
The biggest of those came from Harvey Dyson III, whose late fourth-quarter forced fumble drew major praise from his coach. Doeren called it “one of the best plays I’ve seen as a coach in my career,” and later said Dyson “played like a senior, a guy that just won’t let the team lose.”
He added that the effort stood out just as much as the result. “I mean, it says that he’s all in.
That’s what it says. That wasn’t his play to make.”
Doeren also credited the defensive call and the chase that set up the sack on the following drive. He said the twist game was executed perfectly and described the sequence as a momentum flip.
NC State’s offense got a strong night from CJ Bailey, who Doeren said was “really accurate down the field throws…took care of the football…very efficient.” He later added, “He’s playing outstanding football and he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC.”
Bailey’s performance included a career high in passing yards, and Doeren said the quarterback has been building into that level over the last month. He also noted that Bailey delivered a message in the locker room about “continuing what we’re doing, coming into building, blocking the noise, playing ball, stacking plays and stacking days.”
The offensive line was another major reason NC State survived. Doeren walked through the shuffle up front, with Daniel Cruz making his first start at center, Teague Andersen moving from center back to tackle, Yousef Murgharbil getting injured, and Trent Mitchell stepping in for the most action he’s seen in a game. Rico Jackson also shifted spots, and Doeren said the group just kept absorbing changes.
“The offensive line deserves a lot of credit for that win,” he said.
There were other contributors all over the field. Davion Gause stepped in after Duke Scott went down and, according to Doeren, “played really hard for us.” Tyran Warren got into the end zone, Victor Snow made catches and converted downs, and Doeren said the game featured “different guys stepping up at different times throughout the game.”
On the defensive side, though, he didn’t sugarcoat everything. Doeren said he didn’t like how NC State played in the second half and pointed to tackling issues that need to be cleaned up. Still, he emphasized the context: Louisville had been averaging 41 points per game, and the Wolfpack held the Cardinals to 28.
“There’s a lot of good,” Doeren said, even while acknowledging the mistakes.
He also singled out Popo Aguirre, who recovered all three fumbles, and said it was “awesome” to learn that detail. Doeren said Aguirre’s presence around the ball reflected how hard he runs, how he practices and how he prepares. He described him as “a great leader for our team” and “an awesome teammate.”
Doeren closed by thanking the fans who stuck it out in the rain. He said their presence mattered to the players, staff and recruits, and made sure they knew it.
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