The Biggest Problem Behind NC State’s Three Losses

In the immediate aftermath of the loss to the Fighting Irish, a pressing issue was at the forefront of head coach Dave Doeren's mind. He wasn't alone. Both linebacker Caden Fordham and quarterback CJ Bailey were thinking about the same thing.

Throughout the season, Doeren placed great emphasis on playing a complete, complementary football game. The Wolfpack did anything but that against Notre Dame, once again frustrating all members of the team.

The bye week will be an opportunity for NC State to try to determine the disconnect between the offense, defense and special teams that has been a recurring theme in both the wins and losses of the season.

The Notre Dame Issues

To the surprise of many Wolfpack fans, it was NC State's defense that kept the team in the game during the first half against Notre Dame. Defensive coordinator DJ Eliot had a solid plan that limited the Irish to just 10 points in the half. Doeren was particularly pleased with the effort on that side of the ball.

“I thought they played really hard. They believed that they could stop them. They were physical. There’s a lot of really physical tackles in that game. I knew Notre Dame would make some plays," Doeren said.

Unfortunately for the Wolfpack defense, the offense possessed the ball for five fewer minutes than the Irish in the second half. Bailey completed just six passes in the half and the offense failed to convert on five of its six third-down opportunities.

He also threw three interceptions. Doeren described his quarterback as "off" in the game, while Bailey still believed his team had a shot, but took responsibility for his role in the Wolfpack's downfall.

"We were in the game the whole time. We just had to score more. That's really what it was. We've got to find ways to get the ball in the end zone. The turnovers, they came in the back end in crucial moments," Bailey said.

Bailey's woes let the defense down, as the Fighting Irish found more of a rhythm the more they possessed the ball. Notre scored 26 points in the second half.

Fordham's Plea

Fordham, often the emotional heartbeat of the team and the defense, was visibly frustrated by the latest loss. After all three losses, he's sat in front of the media and pointed to the same recurring issue.

• "Basically, we just have to play complementary football. Obviously, we came out and played hard. We haven't put a full game together where we can complement each other," he said. "We've got a lot of ball left, so we've got to buy in."

In each loss, a different part of the Pack has failed to meet its expectations. In the loss to Duke, the defense collapsed late. In the Virginia Tech game, the offense couldn't sustain drives and control the possession in the second half.

Searching For Answers

After the offense failed the defense in the Notre Dame loss, Doeren felt as lost as anyone else who's watched his team play all season. The problem simply refuses to go away despite his efforts to coach it out of the Wolfpack.

"I wish I had the answer. It's not because we don't talk about it every week. That's what I told the guys in there," Doeren said. "We've had games where we played lights out on defense, had games where we played lights out on offense. Had games where special teams was really poor."

The 13-year veteran coach said the team now has a five-game season to turn things around. Every unit showed flashes through the first seven games, but with the flashes came lows as well. The offense struggled in the second half.

The defense failed to stop explosive runs time and time again. Special teams missed kicks and committed penalties.

With even more daunting competition coming down the stretch for the Wolfpack, finding a way to play complementary football for the first time all season will never be more critical.

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