A few points:JBB wrote:Here is what physical football looks like in a box score:
Score by quarters:
North Dakota State.. 50 75 100 131
Opponents........... 64 74 58 52
As the game wears on The BISON get stronger and the opponents get the stuffing knocked out of them.
Even though The BISON started the year with just a 3 pt win over a BCS/FBS school, the Kansas Jayhawks, The NDSU BISON did outscored opponents on the year by 101 pts.
If you can show me those stats for your team you too can say your team plays physical football, and you had better hope they do. If they dont the BISON will crush them.
I like smash-mouth football. That is NDSU's style of play, and it suits them for the type of athletes they get. Lean on your opponent and run the ball. Sometimes it works, sometimes is doesn't. When you are playing a team with a good vertical passing game that can spread it out and score points in a hurry, you better hope that A) You can defend the pass, B) Muster some sort of your own passing game, because if you get behind, it can be hard to catch up just trying to run the ball.
I think NDSU will be good this year, but for them to advance deep into the playoffs they need to become more balanced offensively. If NDSU finds some semblance of a passing game they could be really good. Also, your offensive line was big, but not a lot of athleticism there. There were times in the EWU game where they were beaten badly by smaller/faster/more athletic defensive ends and the QB/RB's run down behind the line of scrimmage. Bigger isn't always better in that regard.