Ev and Will dig into the fallout from the Vanderbilt collapse and the shaky App State win, questioning Dave Doeren's staff management and game decisions, then debate whether a win over Louisville changes anything about his future at NC State.
Ev and Will open by revisiting the gut-wrenching Vanderbilt loss, breaking down the botched end-of-game sequence (burning a timeout, not punting, confusing instructions to CJ Bailey) and placing blame on both coaching communication and CJ's decision-making. They then turn to the App State game, where State again built a big lead only to let it slip before escaping with a win, and use it to question DJ Elliott's defensive game management and Dave Doeren's broader pattern of hot starts and late collapses.
The conversation moves into a wider critique of Doeren's staff decisions, including the confusing explanation for why King Mac and Brody Barnhart aren't playing despite good practices, the handling of the wide receiver room and Joker Phillips' role, and frustration that the coaching staff seems unwilling to make personnel changes based on merit. They compare this to other programs making in-season changes and argue it's time for a different approach, including floating the idea of moving to an offensive-minded head coach if a change were ever made, and naming potential hypothetical candidates.
The guys also discuss the Protect College Sports Act and NIL spending more broadly, arguing that player pay has become disconnected from on-field value and that coaches' salaries and buyouts need structure too, while wondering when the money chasing college sports will level off. They close by looking ahead to Louisville, weighing weather and matchup factors, predicting a win, and acknowledging that nothing short of a strong ACC finish is likely to change the fanbase's growing fatigue with the Doeren era.
In this episode
- Vanderbilt game breakdown. Ev and Will relitigate the final sequence, criticizing the wasted timeout, lack of a punt, and miscommunication with CJ Bailey that led to the loss.
- App State escape and DJ Elliott questions. The hosts discuss how State built a 17-0 lead but let App State tie it late, pointing to defensive game management as a repeated issue.
- Staff and personnel decision-making. They question Doeren's explanation for King Mac and Brody Barnhart's limited snaps and the ongoing wide receiver rotation issues involving Joker Phillips and Ashton Locklear.
- Is it time for a coaching change. The guys debate whether seven or eight wins is enough to save Doeren's job and discuss hypothetical offensive-minded replacements.
- NIL, coaching pay, and the Protect College Sports Act. Ev and Will argue that player and coach compensation has spiraled out of proportion to value and discuss proposed salary caps and bonus structures.
- Looking ahead to Louisville. The hosts preview the matchup, citing weather and Louisville's run defense, and predict a State win while noting it may not change overall fan sentiment.