North Dakota State Bison junior quarterback Nathan Hayes has been effective through two games as a first-year starter thus far, and he has a new big task ahead of him.
Hayes will need to control time of possession against Air Force on Saturday in the Mountain West Conference opener. That’s because Air Force is traditionally a top-five rushing team that is notorious for keeping the ball most of the game.
NDSU head coach Tim Polasek wants Hayes to keep drives extra long to offset Air Force. The Bison possessed the ball for 36:07 in the opener against Jacksonville State and 33:27 against Fordham, and those amounts might not be enough against the Falcons.
“I think at one point I said, ‘Nathan, you understand, eight possessions a game,’” Polasek told reporters on Tuesday.
Air Force averaged 33:52 for time of possession last season, and the Falcons kept the ball for 40:50 in the season opener against Duquesne. The Falcons rushed for 431 yards in the 34-0 blowout win over the FCS school, and Air Force has little trouble using the same formula against any team.
Tim Polasek Knows Air Force Well
For Polasek, the Falcons are a familiar team from his time on Wyoming’s coaching staff in the early 2020s. Wyoming went 1-2 in those games with the Falcons during his time with the Cowboys.
“We think this [Air Force] team’s like the ones they had in 2022 and 2023, they were 10-3,” Polasek said. “In those years, their opponents averaged about eight possessions a game while they averaged 10; 58 plays to 68, 51 plays to 73 plays. Is that putting pressure on him? You bet.”
“We have to go out there, and we have to value every possession that we get offensively, and we’ve got to go out there and get the first first down, and we’ve got to have some productivity so our defense doesn’t get sent out there too fast,” Polasek continued. “Then scoring points is going to be critical.”
Bison Going the Analytics Route
Polasek admitted that he has put in extra time and technology into game planning for Air Force, the first-ever Mountain West game in NDSU history. The Bison moved up to the FBS from the FCS after a dominant 15-year run with the invitation from the Mountain West, and Polasek wants things to start off the right way in Colorado Springs.
“I’ve never looked at analytics as much as I’ve looked at it for this matchup in the last two to three months,” Polasek said. “Just meaning like what does it mean points per possession, what does that mean for wins? They’ve won the toss 15 times last year and 2023 and they deferred every time.”
“I think whether we choose the ball or not are huge decisions. This will be a team win if and when we can get it done,” Polasek added. “It’ll be because the team plays well. I’d be shocked if we’re in here just talking about one unit playing great and the other unit really not playing very good. It’ll take everybody, hands on deck, including special teams.”
NDSU Quarterback Nathan Hayes Tasked With 1 Major Job vs. Air Force