North Carolina State gets a quick chance to shake off last week’s gut punch, and Dave Doeren is making sure the focus stays on Saturday night’s visit from unbeaten Appalachian State in Raleigh, N.C.
The Wolfpack are 1-2 after a crushing 35-31 loss at Vanderbilt, a game that slipped away on the final snap when quarterback CJ Bailey fumbled in the end zone while trying to run out the clock. That mistake handed the Commodores the go-ahead touchdown and left NC State staring at a painful finish to a game it had controlled.
"It's a terrible way to end a football game that you controlled," Doeren said. "There was a lot of pain and anger in that locker room after the game. I know the fans feel the same way."
Doeren said his team has to move on quickly, especially with three straight home games starting this weekend.
"There's a lot of football left in this season," he said. "There's a lot to play for, and I know that we're not going to quit. We're going to fight our butts off."
Appalachian State arrives at 3-0 for the first time since 2019 after edging visiting Charlotte 26-21 last weekend. Even in victory, the Mountaineers had issues closing things out. They were outscored in the fourth quarter for the second straight game, something coach Dowell Loggains said has to change.
"We've got a lot to clean up from that game," said Mountaineers coach Dowell Loggains, whose team was outscored in the fourth quarter for the second game in a row. "We have to learn how to close out games."
The Mountaineers will also have to deal with Bailey again, and Loggains expects the NC State quarterback to be a challenge despite the costly mistake in Nashville.
"You forget how big he is, so you've got to do a great job containing him," Loggains said.
Appalachian State has gotten production from plenty of places through its 3-0 start. Malachi Singleton earned Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for a career-high 331 yards and two touchdowns against Charlotte, with 10 different Mountaineers catching at least one of his 28 completions. Jaquari Lewis has scored a rushing touchdown in each game, and James London has hit 6 of 7 field goals, with the lone miss coming from 59 yards.
NC State has history on its side, at least in the series. The Wolfpack have won all six previous meetings with Appalachian State, and every one of those games came in Raleigh, with the last matchup in 2006.
For Doeren, though, this week is less about the past than about helping his team reset.
"We've got three straight home games, and this is the first," Doeren said. "I'm looking forward to it. ...
It's not going to be about what happened last Saturday. It's going to be about what we're going to get done this Saturday."
In Other News...
CJ Bailey Owned NC States Costly Late Mistake After Vanderbilt Loss
After NC States loss at Vanderbilt, quarterback CJ Bailey faced the cameras and tried to sort through the kind of ending that lingers long after the final whistle. Bailey talked through his mindset after the setback, what the game asked of him, and how the offense had to adjust along the way, including a shift from tempo to a huddle approach as the pace changed.
The most unavoidable part of the discussion was the late sequence in which Bailey fumbled, a play that shaped the final stretch and became the obvious focal point afterward. Even so, Bailey also pointed to the support he has felt from his family and the personal growth he has experienced this season, a reminder that for a young quarterback, one difficult night is only part of the larger arc. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Fans May Not Like What A Doeren Change Would Cost
Dave Doerens place in the pay hierarchy has been secure since NC State handed him a five-year, $28.1 million extension before the 2024 season, a deal that pushed him into the top 40 among college footballs highest-paid coaches. The contract came with the kind of commitment that signals stability, from a 2026 compensation figure of $6.375 million before bonuses to a package layered with performance incentives and perks.
Any talk of moving on from Doeren, then, is not just about football evaluation, but about the financial reality attached to it. The contract also carries a buyout that would top $9.75 million if he were fired without cause before January 2027, which helps explain why change at the top would come with a steep price tag for NC State, even before the usual questions about timing and direction enter the picture. [Read more 🡒]
NC States Vanderbilt Collapse Just Reignited A Painful Program Debate
A rough afternoon at Vanderbilt did more than hand NC State another frustrating result, it pushed the Wolfpack back into an uncomfortable national conversation. ESPN slotted them at No. 5 in its Week 3 Bottom 10 after the late-game fumble by quarterback CJ Bailey helped turn a winnable trip into a loss, and the snap judgment fit a program that has too often drifted between promise and disappointment.
The latest attention is only part of the story, though. The Athletic recently labeled NC State the most average Power Four program, a harsh but telling assessment of a team that has not consistently separated itself from the middle tier. For a fan base used to wondering whether the next week will bring progress or another letdown, the debate feels less like a one-off reaction and more like a familiar indictment. [Read more 🡒]