North Dakota State has a few injuries to watch for ahead of Saturday’s Mountain West Conference opener at Air Force.
Bison head coach Tim Polasek updated the media Tuesday on injuries to senior offensive lineman Josh Magin (hip) and sophomore offensive guard Nate Tastad (knee). Polasek said Tastad “will be available” for the game, but Magin “is questionable” at the moment.
“We’re working with that group,” Polasek told reporters regarding the offensive line. “When I say compete, improve, tough are my three core values, and if guys in our program are improving, I love them, and they are improving.”
“But those are two early-season injuries here that have caused one guy [Coy Okeson] to go in there and get his first start,” Polasek added. “And by the way, he had some of the most physical stuff on tape. Coy Okeson played pretty darn good, but he also missed a couple of those linebackers shooting in there fairly quickly.”
NDSU averaged 373 yards of total offense in the first two games, so the blocking has been effective in moving the ball. The Bison gave up six sacks in the first two games and gained 3.9 yards per rushing attempt, so there are areas for improvement going into Colorado Springs.
Tim Polasek Gets Honest on Falcons OL Size
Polasek, who has coached in the Mountain West before with Wyoming, addressed the reputation for Air Force having lighter offensive linemen. The Falcons are more around the lower 300-pound range, or below, rather than 315-330 pounds.
“O-line-wise, I can tell you significantly they have gotten to be where they look like an FBS O-line,” Polasek said. “They’re 6’4″, 290. They also have to be able to pass these conditioning tests, and they got to be able to do a certain amount of things.”
“Football is optional for these guys. They play because they love their teammates and they love the game, and maybe it helped them to get into Air Force,” Polasek added. “You will see some guys with a little less length than we might see on a regular basis, week to week. What they do, what they’re taught to do, they do what their coach asks them to do.”
Falcons a Strong Run Blocking Team
The size and skill on the offensive line works for the Falcons, a team that often finishes in the top-five annually for rushing yards per game — an achievement that isn’t possible without excellent offensive line play. Last year’s team averaged 261.4 yards per game, and the Falcons ran for 431 yards in the season opener against Duquesne on Sept. 5.
“They do it with a high level of fundamental perfection in mind, and they play extremely hard,” Polasek said about the offensive line blocking. “But it won’t be the biggest front, but man, these guys play extremely hard, and they have really good answers as far as stopping the run on defense.”
“And then offensively, they’re going to leverage their strengths and their ability to run up front and pull and trap and cut block, all that kind of stuff,” Polasek concluded.
NDSU Gives Injury Updates Before Air Force Game