UVA football players killed in shooting on Doeren’s mind as Pack preps for Louisville

N.C. State coach Dave Doeren didn’t want to talk football Monday, or the Louisville game this week, or the still disturbing loss to Boston College.

All that was on his mind, he said, was the tragedy at the University of Virginia and the shooting deaths of three students, all football team members.

“As a program in the ACC and just as a program in general, I want to send out our thoughts and prayers to the UVA community, to our colleagues and to their students and student-athletes and families,” Doeren said in beginning his weekly news conference. “It’s terrible news. Football and coaching is a brotherhood and we definitely are here beside them and support them and suffer with them.

“It doesn’t feel like we should be talking about football with what’s going on up there. It’s tough. … There’s just a lot of evil out there.”

The Wolfpack does have a football game to play. The Pack (7-3, 3-3 ACC), no longer in the AP poll following the 21-20 loss to BC, will go to Louisville (6-4, 3-4) on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. game at Cardinal Stadium.

“In light of what’s going on, regionally and in our conference, it’s hard to focus on it,” Doeren said. “There’s a lot going on right now, but that’s the world we’re in.”

One of the toughest parts of coaching is getting a team back on point and their focus back on the task at hand after a gut-wrenching loss that leaves a bitter taste. Such is Doeren’s task after seeing the Wolfpack’s Senior Day ruined Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.

The Pack led the Eagles 14-0 in the first quarter, 17-7 at halftime and 20-7 in the third quarter — and lost, on a touchdown pass in the final seconds of the game.

Doeren’s reaction after the game?

“I just spoke from the heart,” he said Monday. “I told them I was in a lot of pain, too. I felt for them. I felt like we were robbed, in the moment, that we made the play on what I thought was a great play, and still do.”

“The play” was a pass breakup by linebacker Drake Thomas on a fourth-down play by the Eagles. Thomas was called for pass interference at the NCSU 4, and the Eagles scored the winning touchdown on the next play on Emmett Morehead’s 2-yard pass to Joe Griffin.

It was a close play and a tough call on Thomas, who collided with Griffin just as Morehead’s pass arrived, drawing a penalty with 18 seconds remaining.

“Human errors are going to occur and none of us are perfect,” Doeren said. “I told them they have to accept it and move on and that the only way we could become whole again as a team is show back up with emotion and go compete again and win. We still have opportunities in front of us that allow us to have, albeit not the season we thought in the beginning, but with what we’ve dealt with we can have a great season here still. And the guys all understand that.

“It’s just being honest with them, not trying to sugarcoat anything. And letting them talk, as well, and let them say how they feel.”

The call against Thomas remains irksome to Doeren. After the game, he called it a “fantastic play” by the redshirt junior, who might have played his last game at Carter-Finley on Saturday, and questioned how a flag could be thrown on such a “bang-bang” play.

“We practiced the play all week, (Thomas) knew the play was coming and I thought he made a terrific play,” Doeren said Monday. “He did everything we can ask him to do. I’m really proud of him for making that play and at the end of that play we should have been out there kneeling the ball down for a win.”

Doeren conceded Monday there were things the Pack — and the coaches — could have done better or differently in the game, saying he stayed up all night questioning himself, play calls, everything. The offense stalled badly after the first two touchdowns. Third downs were a game-long problem. Running the ball was a problem.

The Pack had fourth-and-goal at the BC 1 and quarterback MJ Morris was stuffed for a 1-yard loss on a keeper. Doeren said Monday the play-call was a good one, but the blocking was not, saying the BC noseguard “won” on that play in the second quarter.

Even worse for the Wolfpack, center Grant Gibson was injured on the play and did not return to the game.

“We don’t get the luxury to rewind and have a do-over,” Doeren said. “At the end of the day everything we did led us to one play and we made the play. We did. You guys all saw it.”

Asked Monday if there had been a response from the ACC stemming from his postgame remarks on the Thomas call, Doeren said he could not comment.