Aug 29, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren between his players before the first half of the game against Western Carolina Catamounts at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Watch: Doeren Speaks Ahead of Week 3 Matchup

Originally posted on NC State Wolfpack on SI
By Tucker Sennett | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 1:00 PM ET

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The North Carolina State Wolfpack moved to 2-0 after a tight win over Virginia. Head coach Dave Doeren led the team to a 35-31 victory.

Now, the Wolfpack has only a few days to prepare for the Week 3 matchup and the official conference opener. The team will hit the road for the first time in 2025, although it won't travel far. On Thursday night, the Wolfpack will face Wake Forest and first-year head coach Jake Dickert.

Doeren hosted his weekly press conference Monday night, discussing a number of topics about the win over Virginia and previewing the upcoming matchup with the Demon Deacons.

Watch Doeren's Press Conference Here

Here is a transcript of some of Doeren's availability Mondy night.

Doeren's assessment of sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey and his performance early in the season

Doeren: "He's playing at a high level. He sees things. He understands the system. He's in command of the guys around him. He challenges people. He challenges himself. He has a knack for knowing what to do. Sometimes, it's not perfect. They're coming with an unblocked guy and a blitz and he sees it. He feels it. He gets out of contain and he runs for a touchdown...

... He knows who his guys are. He knows where to throw the football to them. What he does on the sideline as a leader, compared to last year, is night and day. He's always had positive energy and enthusiasm, but he has command now."

On stopping Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne and improving the run defense

Doeren: "He's a great player and he's got speed, He's got vision, he can break tackles,. He can make you miss. He's patient and so, when you're defending a great running back, it takes everybody. It's gap accountability. It's beating blocks. It's leveraging the football and then it's gang tackling.

Everything needs to improve. We had guys in position to make plays on some of the plays that Virginia made and they made them and we didn't.

On Wake Forest no longer running the mesh RPO offense in 2025

Doeren: "It's nothing like it was. It's a more traditional college football offense. They don't have the slow mesh anymore with the RPOs. The biggest difference besides that is the fact that they've got a really fast, athletic quarterback (Robby Ashford). Not that they haven't had guys that can run, but not like this guy..."

This article first appeared on NC State Wolfpack on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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