NC State sends statement to the ACC with win over Louisville

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Dave Doeren admits he's superstitious. When things are going well, he'll wear the same color shirt or follow the same routine or, as he noted, follow a few other rules that “just don't need to be talked about.”

Nothing about Thursday's 39-25 win over Louisville, however, was luck. This was a message sent to the rest of the ACC by Doeren's Wolfpack. NC State is for real.

To be sure, bad luck has overwhelmed this program at times, including close losses last year to both Clemson (on a missed chip shot field goal) and Florida State (on a dropped interception). Even in this year's opener, NC State dominated South Carolina in every statistic except the final score. So, yeah, a…