RALEIGH – North Carolina State is down to its final days of preparation for coach Dave Doeren’s first game with the Wolfpack. He’s eager to find out how his new players respond to game pressure.

Doeren said Monday the opener against Louisiana Tech will give the coaches a chance “to really see those pieces and how they interact.”

Doeren, who left Northern Illinois to replace Tom O’Brien, has spent the past month pushing the players to learn more of the offensive and defensive schemes installed during spring practices. But he said he won’t know for sure how much the players have processed or which guys will perform under pressure until Saturday.

Seven freshmen appear on the team’s depth chart, though the starting quarterback job remains open between Brandon Mitchell and Pete Thomas.