Doeren Gives Important Update on Harsh's Status

What was the Update?

As expected, NC State and Doeren attempted to appeal the decision against Harsh. Because of the targeting rules in NCAA football, the defensive end will be forced to sit out for the first half of the Duke game.

• "You don't appeal to the league. You appeal to the head of officials, Steve Shaw. So that's the process that you go through, and it was upheld," Doeren said Monday.

Harsh did lower the crown of his helmet on the hit against Wake Forest quarterback Robby Ashford. That move fell within the verbiage of targeting per the guidebook, so Harsh's suspension shouldn't come as a surprise to many Wolfpack fans or the coaching staff.

Filling the Hole

Obviously, losing your star pass rusher when facing a talented quarterback is a nightmare situation. The loss, coupled with the way the Wolfpack started defensively against both Virginia and Wake Forest, could mean trouble for Doeren and his staff. However, the coach addressed, at least on a surface level, what the plan was to fill the void left by Harsh's absence.

• "It's a next man up thing. It's no different than when Brandon Cleveland couldn't play the first half for us in the ECU game. We gave Chazz Wallace and Josiah Victor a chance to play, and you'll get to see that with our guys," Doeren said. "We're not going to talk about who we're playing, but there will definitely be opportunities for guys to get more reps in that first half with him out."

Coming off a pick-six against Wake Forest, sophomore defensive lineman Isaiah Shirley seems like a natural candidate to play more in Harsh's absence.

Graduate senior Travali Price also recorded a sack against Wake Forest, making him another option for the first half. It will be a major test of both the Wolfpack's depth and first-year defensive coordinator DJ Eliot's ability to scheme up pressure early in the game.

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