NC State fires defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable

A change that a lot of folks have been clamoring for has finally happened: Dave Huxtable is out as NC State’s defensive coordinator. Huxtable was an original member of Dave Doeren’s NC State staff. Doeren said in a statement that he wants to “go in a different direction.”

The defense was never a real strength under Huxtable’s leadership and at times seemed less than the sum of its parts. Not everything that’s happened on that side of the ball is his fault, but NC State isn’t costing itself anything by trying something different.

In league play this season, the Wolfpack allowed 443.8 yards per game on 6.1 yards per play. ACC opponents also averaged 36 points per game. That’s not even close to good enough, and we have enough evidence going back to suggest there’s more to blame here than just the injury bug.

So we’ll see where Doeren decides to turn. This is an important hire for him.