{
  "id": 8605523,
  "title": "Misery Index: NC State's all-time collapse brings up questions about Dave Doeren's job security",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/misery-index-nc-states-all-time-collapse-brings-up-questions-about",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-20T04:19:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/article/misery-index-nc-states-all-time-collapse-brings-up-questions-about-dave-doerens-job-security-041904878.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dave Doeren's coaching career has been an anomaly within college football, where fan dissatisfaction typically leads to swift coaching changes. Despite NC State's repeated 8-5 and 9-4 seasons, Doeren has managed to stay in the position for 14 years. However, the team's loss to Vanderbilt may signal a shift in Doeren's job security. The Vanderbilt game was a game of coaching errors, with one play in particular standing out. After Vanderbilt threw an interception near the goal line, the Wolfpack had to kill the final six seconds to escape with a 31-28 victory. It's a tricky situation, as a lot of coaches would choose to take a safety and kick from the 20-yard line. Instead, NC State hoped QB CJ Bailey could run around defenders and fall to the ground to protect the football. But Bailey was hit and didn't protect the ball, leading to Vanderbilt recovering the fumble and winning the game. Doeren blamed the player for the mistake, which is a lousy explanation because the play was inherently riskier than Bailey taking a snap and kicking the safety. Overall, this loss sets a new standard for NC State's miserable season, solidifying the Wolfpack as America's most disappointed fan base in Week 3.",
  "summary": "While Lane Kiffin, Deion Sanders and Bill Belichick all took L's on Saturday, nobody was more embarrassed than Dave Doeren and NC State.",
  "key_points": [
    "NC State's 8-5 and 9-4 seasons have not led to coaching changes.",
    "Vanderbilt's interception led to NC State's 31-28 victory.",
    "CJ Bailey's fumble recovery solidifies NC State's miserable season."
  ],
  "editors_take": "NC State's stunning collapse and particularly the coaching error in the Vanderbilt game may finally imperil Dave Doeren's unusually long tenure as head coach despite his history of mediocrity.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}