Football Kicks Off Pre-Season Camp

'13 Football Multimedia NCS Football23

RedHelmet

Wolfpack Football held its first practice of the 2013 fall season on Friday evening.  Yay!!!

N.C. State football: A feel-good start for Dave Doeren, Wolfpack (CharlotteObserver.com)

RALEIGH The first practice of N.C. State’s football season started early Friday night. New coach Dave Doeren would like for his Wolfpack team to remain ahead of schedule.

There was a renewed energy and enthusiasm among N.C. State’s players at the opening of training camp, Doeren’s first in Raleigh.

[snip]

“We’ve got a long way to go but it’s fun to be back out here working,” Doeren said.

Doeren won 23 games in two seasons at Northern Illinois and his attention for detail preceded him to N.C. State. The Wolfpack came out in new practice jerseys and with a new attitude after an inconsistent 7-6 finish cost Tom O’Brien his job in 2012.

Doeren, who’s 23 years younger than O’Brien, has injected a little life into the Wolfpack’s practice routine. There was music cranked up, to airport decibels, during the stretching drills and a general air of giddiness as the team prepares for the Aug. 31 opener against Louisiana Tech.

“It was the first practice, and guys are going to be overly excited, but guys were really eager to get out here,” senior tackle Rob Crisp said. “Ever since summer workouts, it was ‘I can’t wait for camp’ and in the past years, you never heard that.”

Sights and Sounds of Friday’s first practice (GoPack.com)

Photo Gallery 1 (GoPack.com)

Photo Gallery 2 (TechnicianOnline.com)

Joe Giglio (N&O)
Pack QB competition begins for Thomas, Mitchell

Brandon Mitchell will wear Mike Glennon’s old number (No. 8) as he tries to win Glennon’s old job as N.C. State’s quarterback.

The Arkansas graduate is competing against junior Pete Thomas, who worked with the first-team offense in practice on Friday in the drills open to the media. Mitchell worked with the second-team offense.

Mitchell, who played receiver at Arkansas last season, made an early impression on first-year coach Dave Doeren with his arm strength.

“He’s got a really live arm,” Doeren said. “He threw the ball pretty well today for a guying playing wideout last year.”

WRALSportsfan.com
Doeren’s decisions begin with first practice

Dave Doeren has shaken hands, met the media and worked the weight room, but Friday offered the new head football coach to North Carolina State University the opportunity to do what he loves.

“What I love to do is coach, and today I got to do it,” Doeren said after his team’s first practice. “It was fun to be back on the field with the guys.”

That fun will quickly turn to work for Doeren and his staff, who have plenty of questions to answer over the next four weeks.

“For me, it’s kind of like a puzzle. You’re trying to move the pieces around, make them fit. You really don’t know what they all do yet,” Doeren said.

WRALSportsfan.com
Doeren hits the field in NC State’s first practice

The new head coach finally got to see his players on the field Friday as NC State began practice for the 2013 football season.

WRALSportsfan.com
Doeren: It’s like putting together a puzzle

Dave Doeren said it’s going to be a very productive preseason as he tries to find the pieces for the team.

WRALSportsfan.com
Doeren has plenty of QBs to choose from

NC State head coach Dave Doeren can’t remember a time in his career when his quarterback competition has been so wide open.

WRALSportsfan.com
Thomas: It is a tough competition

QB Pete Thomas talks about the competition during the fall

WRALSportsfan.com
Creecy: This is a fast practice

Tony Creecy says Dave Doeren runs a very fast practice.

Ryan Tice and Jacey Zembal (TheWolfpacker.com)
Q&A: Dave Doeren talks after first practice

Do you get a choice in the music during stretching?

They don’t ask me that question very often. It’s whatever the players like really on that type of stuff, sometimes it livens stuff up for them.

Brandon Mitchell is a big kid.

Yeah, he is a big dude. Both of those guys [Mitchell and Thomas] are 240 pounds, so it’s nice to have that kind of durability. That kind of weight on the frame will help.

He was a receiver, do you worry about that aspect of it?

That was part of the risk. Obviously, you’re bringing a guy in that has played a lot of different things, he played power forward on the basketball team, too. He’s got to get his timing, I think the one thing I saw was he’s got a really live arm. He threw the ball pretty well today for a guy that was playing wide out last year.

Did you pick captains?

No, we don’t have [permanent] captains, we have game captains and we have the leadership council.

Anybody in particular you’re looking to lead the way?

There’s a lot of guys. There’s two guys pretty much at each position group that have been voted by the position players to lead. There’s a lot of older guys in those positions. Dontae Johnson is one of them, Tony Creecy, Rashard Smith, Duran Christophe is a guy the offensive linemen look up to. We’ll see how camp goes and I think there will be some more guys that get a chance that maybe didn’t get enough reps – I know Asa Watson missed all spring so just having him back out there was big today. That’s another one the guys look up to.

–

And don’t forget that Meet The Pack Day is this Sunday, August 4th, from 4:30pm to 6:30pm.

–

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/08/02/4210382/nc-state-football-a-feel-good.html#storylink=cpy

About Wufpacker

A 2nd generation alumnus and raised since birth to be irrationally dedicated to all things NC State. Class of '88 and '92.

'13 Football Multimedia NCS Football

23 Responses to Football Kicks Off Pre-Season Camp

  1. Texpack 08/03/2013 at 9:46 AM #

    There’s something about Mr. Doren that makes me believe he will have us in great shape by the 2015 season. Next year may be rough

  2. PackerInRussia 08/03/2013 at 10:59 AM #

    Was looking at Redskins practice notes and thought everyone would enjoy this note:
    “The drill mostly focused on underneath passes to tight ends and slot receivers, but the highlight of the series was a 50-yard pass to Aldrick Robinson downfield over safety Bacarri Rambo and cornerback David Amerson.”

  3. BJD95 08/03/2013 at 11:18 AM #

    If Amerson keeps trying to “bait” NFL QBs to throw over the top like he did in college….he will be a gameday inactive on a regular basis and cut before his pension vests. Hopefully he learns some humility.

  4. PackFamily 08/03/2013 at 12:44 PM #

    Very exciting there are reports that give us something to read/watch.

    Good to see the kids positive and excited like they are. Brandon Mitchell is built like a horse.
    I am going to try posting more on the forums. I liked the comments about anything and everything over there.

  5. packalum44 08/03/2013 at 1:09 PM #

    Amerson single handedly cost us what, two games? Shocked he was drafted so high. Shocked our secondary is in the NFL they were awful for us last year.

    That is a testament to the coaching staff, and in part tells you what NFL thought of our staff.

  6. DC_wolf 08/03/2013 at 1:26 PM #

    Great compilation, Wufpacker, you’re in mid-season form! This has gotten the juices flowing I must admit… Love this time of year & the anticipation just before kickoff.

  7. Wufpacker 08/03/2013 at 1:48 PM #

    Nope, I can’t take all or even most of the credit for this one despite my name being on it. I was up late last night and just rather haphazardly tossed up the first part of this, before most of the other links were published.

    Someone came behind me and added the best parts of this (judging from the style I’d say 1.21 Jigs). So all of the good parts you can attribute to him (I think)…all of the crapola would be mine.

    😀

  8. PackFamily 08/03/2013 at 1:54 PM #

    packalum44:

    I disagree on part of your comments (but agree on other parts). Our Secondary got torched last year. DA was a problem. At the same time, our very poor LB play put a lot of pressure on the secondary. Earl Wolff was as good a player as any. If we had a team full of him, we’d be NC’s.

    Dontae Johnson and Justin Burris were good too. I know a lot of people liked Bishop as a player, but I found him frequently dogging it, making boneheaded decisions, and giving up on busted plays.

  9. DC_wolf 08/03/2013 at 2:05 PM #

    Never too early to start scouting the opposition. Still trying to gauge whether the opening game against La. Tech will prove to be a season-opening spoiler; here’s their record from last year (hope this posts alright):

    Date Opponent Result
    Sat, Sep 8….at Houston…………W 56-49
    Sat, Sep 15…Rice………………W 56-37
    Sat, Sep 22…at Illinois………..W 52-24
    Sat, Sep 29…at Virginia………..W 44-38
    Sat, Oct 6….UNLV………………W 58-31
    Sat, Oct 13…Texas A&M………….L 57-59
    Sat, Oct 20…Idaho……………..W 70-28
    Sat, Oct 27…at New Mexico State…W 28-14
    Sat, Nov 3….Texas-San Antonio…..W 51-27
    Sat, Nov 10…at Texas State……..W 62-55
    Sat, Nov 17…Utah State…………L 41-48
    Sat, Nov 24…at San Jose State…..L 43-52

    9-3 overall isn’t too shabby – & check out the points they put up; 51.5 on average! This while also giving up a healthy 38.5. Their most impressive game may actually have been 1 of their losses: a 57-59 shootout with Texas A&M – the ONLY team to beat Nat’l Champion Alabama last year; they also roughed-up BCS conference teams Illinois & UVa.

    Even more impressive (& meaningful for the Pack) is their road record: 5-1. Away from campus they still managed over 47 points a game, but also gave up almost 39 – so the defense may be suspect.

    However you slice it, La. Tech is not a team you can overlook; but it’s a new year & last year’s performance doesn’t necessarily indicate this year’s. The only thing I know about this year’s edition is they will start 3 new guys on the O-line so that may reduce their scoring potency somewhat. As the Pack go into this season with the defense admittedly ahead of the O, I’m hoping we’re able to stiffle the barrage of points they’re known for putting up.

  10. choppack1 08/03/2013 at 2:14 PM #

    I am pretty optimistic about Doeren, but then again – I’m always optimistic.

    I won’t judge him on this year’s results…of course, that should work both ways right?

  11. Bowlpack 08/03/2013 at 2:34 PM #

    DC_Wolf,

    LA Tech should not be overlooked. Nobody on our schedule should given that we are a completely unknown commodity. I will point out that they are almost completely starting over. New coach and I think they only return 6 starters from last year’s team. That could be a tough obstacle for them early in the season.

  12. PackFamily 08/03/2013 at 2:34 PM #

    DC: Much more important: Sonny Dykes left and Skip Holtz in the new coach

  13. BJD95 08/03/2013 at 2:45 PM #

    This is a very interesting opponent scheduled one year too late. With a mass exodus of starters…no question Dykes was gonna jump ship.

    Of course, with BOTH teams in mega-rebuild mode, it could still be a very entertaining game. No idea what to expect from either side, really.

  14. BJD95 08/03/2013 at 2:47 PM #

    I also heartily second the poster who said we can’t overlook ANYONE. That includes the 1-AA game. But we should also have a reasonable chance to be competitive in most games, with loads of question marks on the schedule. Hopefully enough that we can scratch out at least 4 or 5 wins and not have a disaster season.

  15. DC_wolf 08/03/2013 at 3:52 PM #

    Don’t underestimate Skip Holtz. 😉

    But seriously – didn’t realize they were in such rebuild mode. Historically a tough program, though. I’ve heard some folks say “@ least you aren’t starting out with another SEC team…” & my response has been “La Tech may be every bit as good.” But thanks for the 411 on the rebuild.

  16. MISTA WOLF 08/03/2013 at 4:23 PM #

    Any pics of the uniforms? I had an update on NCAA Football 14 and seen what they say their going to look like. I can describe them if needed if anyone’s interested.

  17. blpack 08/03/2013 at 8:31 PM #

    First game will be very important and I agree we can’t overlook anyone. I think we can have a good season. 8 home games, lots of toss-ups at home and on the road. Glad we will see Duke a couple more times before I’m 50. : ) Way to kill a rivalry, ACC. 6 or 7 wins is a possibility. That said, we may be playing this season to get to next. Will be very interesting. Go Pack!

  18. Virginia Wolf 08/03/2013 at 8:59 PM #

    La. Tech will be an interesting game! We can’t take any of the non-conference games lightly. Richmond may be the most difficult of them all. Never overlook Skip Holtz. Go Pack!!!!

  19. inhoc... 08/04/2013 at 2:48 PM #

    Surprising that manny stocker is not being mentioned in the QB race. Anyone heard on how he’s doing?

  20. packalum44 08/04/2013 at 3:27 PM #

    Amatos worst teams with Evans or Stone or Beck destroyed D 2 programs. Even an App State team that won a Championship.

    Mitchell gave a good interview he’s more articulate than Sidney Lowe. Made me feel somewhat better he’s got a triple digit IQ.

  21. TheCOWDOG 08/04/2013 at 3:44 PM #

    Do I detect a sense of humor from my Dunkirk friend?

    It’s still to early to patent with certainty, but poor Pete Thomas is probably not gonna fit what the O philosophy is all about.

    Mitchell by wheels, by September.

    Bishop hanging in there, up in Minnesota. Mario, not so much in WNY.

  22. BJD95 08/04/2013 at 3:52 PM #

    Stocker is a non-factor in the QB race, by all indications. He will redshirt, I predict.

    I would be surprised if anyone other than Mitchell starts a game for us. Might as well break in the system that Brissette will run from Day One. I think Thomas can be a good backup, and should get some work in relief.

  23. BJD95 08/04/2013 at 4:19 PM #

    Nate Irving is on track to be the (hopefully, SB champion) Denver Broncos’ starting MLB. Took awhile, but he’s finally getting his chance after two seasons of mostly ST play:

    http://www.milehighreport.com/2013/8/4/4588118/broncos-release-their-1st-depth-chart-of-2013

Leave a Reply