Dave Doeren: ‘We want more interceptions’

Dave Doeren was asked after practice Thursday what he’d like to see more from his defenses, and he didn’t hesitate in saying he wants his back seven to be more disruptive.

“We want more interceptions, I think that’s the biggest area, to create more plays like that. We’ve done a nice job stopping the run and we’ve done a nice job creating fumbles.”

NC State finished last season with 14 picks, which ranked 32nd nationally. NC State forced seven fumbles all year, which ranked 102nd. But hey—who has the stat sheet handy all the time? I think what Doeren’s really saying is that he just wants his secondary to be better, which is definitely important for the success of the team in 2018.

He wants those guys to be more disruptive, and also interceptions have more value than fumble recoveries, so that’s the right focus. His teams haven’t been very good at forcing turnovers, in general, since he’s been the head coach in Raleigh. (Fortunately, his offenses haven’t turned it over much either.) Better ball hawking can make a huge difference in the trajectory of a season.