Dave Doeren's Fiery Motivation Ahead of NC State vs. East Carolina Rivalry
NC State's coach expresses his intense desire to dominate East Carolina after a controversial bowl loss.
The rivalry clash between NC State and East Carolina in last season’s Military Bowl ended on a sour note when the in-state foes engaged in a brawl that left one of the game’s officials with a bloody gash on his face. Making matters worse for NC State was that it suffered a 26-21 defeat to the Pirates, further soiling an already disappointing year and locking up its first losing record since 2019.
Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren still has not gotten over the loss nor the way his team responded. He sent a strong message at ACC Media Days recently, clarifying his emotions regarding the upcoming season-opening rematch against the Pirates.
“I don’t want to just win that game. I want to beat the s— out of that team,” Doeren remarked, via ESPN’s David Hale. “Not because of them but because of how we played. I told our team in the locker room, that’s the most embarrassed I’ve ever been as a coach – not because we lost but because of how we behaved at the end of it.”
The bowl game scuffle ignited when East Carolina elected to take a knee to drain the remaining clock after their victory. ECU’s Yannick Smith took a towel from NC State’s Tamarcus Cooley, who retaliated, leading to the ensuing chaos.
Months later, Doeren is still stewing over the incident.
“I’m not going to be part of football like that,” Doeren stated. “So they can change or they can find a new coach because I’m not going to do it anymore. It’s disrespectful to the game of football and to the staff and the fans. And they understand. It’s about winning the football game. If it’s my way, it’ll be in blowout fashion. They’re a good football team with a lot of solid players coming back, so it’ll be fun.”
Officials ejected eight players at the end of the fracas, and it wasn’t before one of them ended up injured. An East Carolina player pushed an NC State athlete in the back, causing a helmet-to-helmet contact with Rod Tucker, resulting in a bloody injury under his left eye.
This emotional loss was hard for NC State. The Wolfpack managed to recover from a 20-7 deficit in the final quarter to establish a 21-20 lead, but the Pirates then responded with an 86-yard touchdown run by Rahjai Harris within the final two minutes, sealing the victory. This defeat halted NC State’s three-game winning streak against East Carolina, marking the rivalry’s long history, which dates back to 1970.
The Wolfpack currently leads the all-time record against the Pirates at 19-14. For this season’s matchup, NC State is favored by 11.5 points, as per FanDuel.
