I couldn't agree more with this. When we beat KState and Iowa it was because we were as good as them in the trenches which allowed our discipline and complimentary style of football to overcome the talent gap at the skill positions. Having FBS level line play is what made NDSU as dominant as they have been. It is capable of masking some other deficiencies elsewhere on the field.
I remember talking with Iowa fans at our hotel the night before the game. They were asking us how we thought the game would play out. We told them that we felt like if our DL could get pressure without blitzing and our OL could get push enough for us to pick up some first downs running the ball that we would keep it close and have a chance to win. We acknowledged that they had better WRs, TEs, DBs etc. but the gap wouldn't come into play as much if we could compete in the trenches. When we saw the same fans after the game they commented on how accurate our assessment of things were. Iowa fans know good OL/DL play as that is how they have built their program as well. They were very impressed with how stout NDSU was at the point of attack.
Pretty clear listening to the introductory presser that Polasek is fired up to the thousandth degree for this opportunity and also pretty clear that he and Roehl have a very close relationship - he had a hard time getting words out talking about how he knew there was a guy here that was really special to him that also wanted this job.
Sounds like Tim Polasek wants to maintain continuity and wants to retain players who want to be here and a part of our culture.
Recruitment is turning into Roster Management. Sound like he understands the current dynamic of transfers and player mobility.
Yeah, he's definitely not planning to retain everyone. Made it clear the focus is on the early signing day right now but that he hopes to have his staff solidified by the end of the calendar year. He astutely pointed out when asked about retaining coaches for continuity's sake that if continuity was the priority he wouldn't have been hired.