NC State football coach Dave Doeren reveals favorite Pop-Tarts flavor ahead of bowl game

In the opening minutes of NC State football coach Dave Doeren’s Zoom press conference, Doeren described Sunday as, “a weird day in college football, to say the least.”

Well, it got weirder during Doeren’s virtual presser, as the Wolfpack’s all-time leader in coaching victories discussed his team’s upcoming matchup with Kansas State (8-4) in the inaugural Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 28 (5:45 p.m., ESPN).

The 19th-ranked Wolfpack (9-3) will carry a five-game winning streak into their final game of the 2023 season. The postseason provides NC State an opportunity to earn double-digit victories for the second time in program history.

But the presser took a strange turn when Doeren, who celebrated his 52nd birthday Sunday, was asked to reveal his favorite Pop-Tarts flavor.

“I’m gonna go with the brown sugar – pretty strong,” Doeren said.

The Pop-Tarts Bowl representative on the call said: “We’ll get some to ya ASAP.”

Doeren responded with a chuckle and said his wife, Sara, prefers the strawberry flavored Pop-Tarts.

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In late November, Pop-Tarts revealed its plans to unveil an edible mascot in celebration of the bowl. The mascot will interact with fans at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, before transforming into a game-winning snack for the winning team.

So, will Doeren take a bite of the mascot if the Wolfpack wins?

“Man, I guess I would have to, wouldn’t I?” Doeren said. “I’m not gonna be the guy that doesn’t do that, so as long as it’s … I don’t know, what flavor’s it gonna be?”

The bowl rep said he wasn’t able to divulge that info just yet, but Doeren followed up with another question.

“Can I chase down the Pop-Tart with a nice bourbon or something like that afterwards?” Doeren said. “Is that part of the Pop-Tart experience or not?”

The bowl rep said they may be able to arrange that, to which Doeren responded, “OK, I think I’m in.”

A weird day in college football, indeed. Welcome to bowl season.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NC State football coach Dave Doeren reveals favorite Pop-Tarts flavor