North Dakota State head coach Tim Polasek is quite familiar with Air Force from his Mountain West Conference coaching days at Wyoming, and this game week had him sleepless.
“I got about two hours of sleep last night,” Polasek admitted to reporters on Tuesday. “Jill [Polasek’s wife] said, ‘That’s the first time in the last six months you haven’t slept, what the [expletive] is going on?’ I said, ‘Am I going for it on fourth-and-3 from the 10-yard line on the opening drive or do we kick for three?’”
Polasek leads the Bison into the program’s first-ever Mountain West conference game on Saturday in the first year of FBS play after the 10-time FCS champions moved up in February. While Air Force isn’t a juggernaut nationally, the Falcons‘ physical, triple-option style creates problems for opponents, and the Bison will play in a high altitude for the first time since 2024.
Air Force’s offensive approach places the burden on the run defense to make stops on long drives, and it’s the most run-oriented attack the Bison have seen in a while. The Falcons notably like to go for it on fourth down, which will keep the Bison, as any opponent, grinding for more plays instead of getting off the field fast.
“I think they went for it on fourth down 34 or 35 times last year, and so when we start getting into midfield, we got to know we’re dealing with four-down football,” Polasek said.
NDSU Historically Confident Against the Triple Option
While the Bison didn’t see the triple option in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Herd fared well against the offensive style in FCS playoff games and last year’s season opener.
The Bison beat the Citadel 38-0 in 2025, but the South Carolina military school is a far cry from Air Force’s caliber. NDSU previously beat Georgia Southern and Wofford twice in FCS playoff games at home, and the Herd beat Furman at home once in the 2013 playoffs.
Polasek coached on the Bison staff during several of those playoff wins, and he led the Herd in the victory over the Citadel last year. He also led the Bison during the team’s last trip to Colorado, a 31-26 loss against Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes in 2024.
Tim Polasek Details Facing Air Force’s Triple Option
Air Force only threw seven times and rushed for 71 plays on Sept. 5 against Duquesne, and Polasek broke down the Falcons mix up looks throughout.
“It’s a 2026 option, so there’s a percentage of it that comes out of the gun,” Polasek said. “Then they have the power read play that we’ve been running for years.”
“They have power read play action…but they have the wheels and that kind of stuff that fits in with the under center, double-wing, single wing with a full back up in there at three yards at times, and then other times he’s at four,” he added. “So there’s just some nuance to what they’re doing.”
Falcons junior quarterback Liam Szarka runs the offense well, and he is a running threat himself with 973 career yards and 15 touchdowns in that span. Szarka doesn’t rely on one back as Kemper Hodges, Rocco Conti and Evan Medders all rushed for 48 or more yards in the opener.
“These guys have everything. The volume of plays and different plays in different things is pretty impressive,” Polasek said.
NDSU Coach Makes Personal Admission Ahead Of Air Force Game