📅 Published on: 2024-12-03 20:36:07
⏱ Duration: 00:22:33 (1353 seconds)
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📝 Video Description:
Tim Polasek spoke with media, Tuesday, December 3, 2024 about their upcoming FCS 2nd Round Playoff matchup against #15 Abilene Christian.
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🎙 Channel: NDSU Athletics
🌍 Channel Country: United States
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NCAA,North Dakota State,NDSU,Bison,Tim Polasek,NDSU Football,Bison Football
🕵️♂️ Transcript:
all right it’s good to be back guys uh good to see you you miss a week it feels like about two or three have rolled by uh Thanksgiving um in the bye was awesome for our kids just from a a mental standpoint a mental health getting refreshed seeing their families I think we only had eight or nine kids that stuck around in town and you know we were able to take care of them with a really cool team uh meal you know I real appreciative to mat LaRon and his team for providing that opportunity for us it gave us a chance to really reflect on what Thanksgiving means to us and last week was pretty cool to get those guys out of town Thursday Friday um Thursday Friday and most of Saturday it also allowed us uh some real good uh time as a coaching staff to dive into okay who’s going to win this game where do we lean and so we’ve got a pretty good jump on abene Christian uh it’s led to a little bit different schedule you know today right now is our players by NCAA rule within a 7-Day stretch you have to give them one day off of no work no meetings no lifting and so today is actually our players day off uh meeting which allowed us Saturday to put the pads on and not only come back and like get back into it we we attacked it and they were very physical Sunday was physical Monday was physical and so um looking forward to Wednesday and Thursday being more detail oriented sharp uh super excited about that but you know I think before we get to the questions and you know kind of uh projecting this game you know I think it’s really important that I bring up a topic you know we’re excited about uh being at home we earned the right to be in the the Dome and to defend the Dome and you know a big reason why uh Jill and I chose to come back is because of all the the the classic memories of Georgia Southern Sam Houston coo Carolina and all those games the the one thing I recall is just an unbelievable explosive Dome where we were playing with um playing with 12 people you know versus the opponents 11 and and I’m I’m going to challenge the community um to do a little bit better than we have done in these second and first round games um I really believe that uh we’re always in pursuit of our next championship and in order for this program to get to where we all want it to be um at the top it takes everybody there’s strength in numbers uh there’s strength in energy um I’ve commented many times that I thought our our fan base this year really showed up and we need it again on Saturday um they’re inspiring to the coaches to the players uh to each other and I think you know the world the buison nation but I think we have to answer the Bell we got to bring the juice this week on Saturday uh there’s plenty of tickets available um this program this staff uh the families of this program the players are fully committed to doing whatever we can do for this community and I think it’s it’s it’s a perfect opportunity for us all to go and and celebrate and have a great day on Saturday so I hope to see everybody out there um a little insight on uh abene Christian you know this isn’t explosive offense you know and it’s sometimes the playoffs are cool cuz you get into watching League to League it’s a little bit hard to figure out where are the matchups how is it going to go but the bottom line is this quarterback um is productive um we’re expecting the starting quarterback to play he’s had a big year um this receiving group um we’ve seen some really good receiving groups this group has probably the most diversity uh as far as being able to beat you on the outside with big guys inside guys that do a really good job with Yak yardage so tackling is going to be important getting the 50/50 ball out of the out of the air is going to be important uh they’ve got our full attention and then right along along with that they have a thousand yard rusher um and the old line you know the we’re digging on it right like we’re we’re working at it but they’ve only given up 19 sacks on 520 pass attempts and that’s I I just don’t you know I’ve learned a lot talking to some of these NFL old linemen that have played with really good quarterbacks right I think the quarterback helps them but that’s a low number um with that amount of pass attempts and so my hat goes off to that group up front this is an improving defense um led by Nick Hol so which is interesting because I coached against him when he was at uh Purdue when I was at Iowa and I just I anybody that’s improving and ascending as we get into November and December and playoff games you know your hats got to go off to the football team that means their culture’s in a good place um that means that their players are still being uh coachable and their coaches are coaching and I think Coach Patterson has this program um improving moving in the right direction they have our full attention and I’m expecting these guys um to not just show up here and then all of a sudden Flinch these guys are going to fight us and they’re going to play us tough um I think a a a edge in all playoff games comes down to the turnover margin um they’re minus six right now and we’re plus a big number uh we got to find a way to make that an advantage for us um I think the team that um competes with the best composure early we’ll have a chance to play the best and and be the team that wins and that’s been our Focus this week with that I’ll open up for questions how different did your guys’ approach to this bye have to be as opposed to you know the bye in the regular season there especially when you don’t know who you’re playing right away just kind of uh how different was this bye for you guys and what’s your different approach for it I mean we started it off offensively they had a strong opinion on the opponent that would win defensively they had a strong opponent I was able to come in and okay guys well let’s meet in the middle here so we were we broke it down probably 6040 in the in the Thanksgiving week one team versus the other and um very pleased with our decision there um I don’t know that it’s a lot different I just what I did is I tried to look at about uh 35 days span November 2nd leading up till next week Monday and our kids are you know in position to take advantage of about 10 and a half days off of physical activity and so we pushed them more than we ever would have this time of year and I went back and I looked at Chris’s plans I looked at some of the coach B’s stuff and Matt ‘s and we did we pushed him a little bit on Saturday Sunday and Monday in comp contrast to the years’s Past because of how late the bye was um in the regular season guys had a week to sit with a bad taste in their mouth after the South Dakota game kind of uh what do you think the effect of that could be and uh just what does that do for the guys moving in the playoffs yeah I’m eager you know right it’s a long season and stuff like that but I don’t remember being this anxious to watch our team go out and compete and how they’ll respond to that I thought the um South Dakota game was interesting you know for majority of the game you outscore an opponent 27 to3 but the bottom line is somewhere we lost our way with our fundamentals and our composure early and it wasn’t an emotional thing we were ready to go but we went out like we weren’t a well-trained football team when it comes to fundamentals and technique and detail and that leads to you know four series of three and outs where I’m a firm believer just a few first downs you know we shift the Battleground a little bit we win the field position for a moment we make them go the long hard way we just didn’t get that done and then all of a sudden we Captivate it with some pretty good moments but then it’s a 50-50 ball game and I’m not going to apologize about anything the ball goes up in the air deep downfield right now it could be Pi completed or incomplete two of the three are bad and we have to eliminate those situations we have to be better late in the game and we have to start better this week what’s the difference between a and Christian’s playoff game last week and I don’t know if you watched the regular season finale but did you is there what stood out was the difference between those games the outcome was different you know they take care of the ball for the most part last week they turned it over and overcame that that’s tough to do and so I just I one takeaway I I guess the way I feel right now about that question is that they’re defense is getting better um they’re they’re improving I think they’re I think they’re hot they’re riding some momentum you know and I I know coach Hol can coach the game um I’ve seen him you know do a good job in the Big 10 before as a CDC um that would be my I guess my comment I’m not guessing at that but that’s how I feel standing up here right now is that they’re an improving ascending defense the last two weeks what’s been your emphasis on the defensive side of the ball we talked a little bit before South Dakota you know of the trend and that game couldn’t have gone the way you wanted to defensively what have you been emphasizing well I think you know getting our Scout team quarterback who he’s had a really good year Trey you know it’s a hard job right um getting him to get the ball out quicker especially when it’s going outside and vertically so our our DBS really truly have a chance to make breaks on the ball on the proper angles um trying to get the corners and the safeties to be in as many competitive situations as possible and then we provided two I believe two TW minute situations I thought we needed to work that would challenge the defense and we kind of set some things up where it would be some some more one-on-one type situations and then on top of that I would come back to tackling and and again you know one-on-one situations are one thing but I thought in the South Dakota game uh uh a key to that game was there was too many runs that should have been tackled for two and three yards they got six and seven and so just getting back to that idea of knockback and everybody getting to the party and and the defensive guys have responded with really good energy but it’s hard to practice tackling this time of year it just is and so you know just being aware of effort and squaring people up and bringing our backside knee through tackles is critical Tim have you uh recruited Texas I mean there’s 22 Division One schools there that play football there’s a lot of players there though too I mean a lot you know in all those small areas yeah I have I got sent down there a couple times at Iowa to look at old lineman I mean I remember being at one school and the coach drove me around he was an older gentleman Legend legendary and he pointed out 28 division one guys that had Scholarships in the the sophomore lineman that I were looking looked at looked like they were Green Bay Packers it’s really pretty fascinated fascinating you know we do the best we can in an area where we’re recognizable and where we’ve built relationships but there are a ton of football players um I I wouldn’t even dare to guess but you just talk about the corridor you talk about Dallas Houston there’s arguments all the time about where where the best football is and so forth and so on and there’s a lot of players the the best thing that I think the good schools do down there is they try to to do it within State and then just touching the borders it’s it’s interesting schools get to West Texas where these guys are at no I used to talk a lot to Willie Matt Garza about that you know a lot of I don’t have any experience with that um but Willie always commented that’s where the toughest players were how combustible a week is this with Signing Day and the portal opening also ready for a for a playoff game what’s what’s the tight rope of walking this week well we will hit repeat on this schedule cuz this player day off thing obviously our coaches were able to get in there this morning we had a big recruiting meeting okay who’s in line for tomorrow what kind of communications have we had um who’s still out there that we want to make some things happen and actually we had a pretty good morning with that and um the off day provides me to be up here very calm cool and collected right now it’s been a good thing we would hit repeat on this schedule again but it’s it’s Madness not to be preparing for a big press conference tomorrow and um okay what are we going to do social media wise how can we put a different spin on this thing and so to balance all those things our uh our assistant coaches won’t be doing that they’ll be focused on EVN Christian coach POC will be on the recruiting end and um I’m so pleased that I’ve built relationships with all 31 or 32 guys that’ll be sending their stuff in tomorrow was there a method to The Madness of doing the press conference Friday just allow yourself no we got practice our players are here and our players deserve our very best and so I just thought it would be a little bit ridiculous to ask our staff to come down and in the middle of game planning wrapping up tightening up gold Zone preparation on offense some third down things on defense that’s just it I we’re there’s got to be some give and take to this thing and and I hope I what my hope is in over time is that families make good decisions on choosing the programs and it’s not about picking some hat you know here at the end it’s we’re not in that world anyhow so I’m really comfortable with the families uh the culture that they came from in the way that we’re handling this um this day and we’re still going to try to get some things out there I’m going to try to be available for um I know for Dom and for some things and some questions get something out on our end from NDSU but it’s just not going to be this big blown out process on signing date obviously a big emphasis on the recruiting out of things but with the portal looming as well just kind of uh is that just kind of something that has to be in the back of your mind or is that do you have to like plan a strategy for the portal part of that I wish it wasn’t on the back of my mind but I think I got two hours of sleep the other night um you just toss and turn it causes a lot of anxiety um but again I I’ve answered questions like this in the past it’s all about okay here’s the challenge go attack the challenge let’s go to work we’re very aware of a couple positions that we may or may not have to go into the portal on um we’re active right now with a couple guys um I’m not that concerned um right now about that because I think that were in unchartered water again so as confidently as I stood and talked about the portal a year ago I have no idea who in the hell is going to be in there when everybody goes to 105 and I’ve been on the phone with some big schools trying to dig on that you know we’re going to we’re going to go like this and we’re going to coach the guys that are in our room that show up and say coach me coach I want to be great and we’re going to give them the best we can and I can’t wait to do that um we haven’t talked to you since Co started so how did that go down in your mind can you what can you talk about yeah we went from trying to figure out if he’s healthy or not is he going to make a run at it to you know you get a phone call or hey coach I was going to come in and see you um we’re moving on you know we’ve got two young safeties that need to get better that are going to get better that are going to be good players in this program we got two more behind them that are really hungry we got a Ryan Jones guy that’s getting better you know and so we’ll focus on those kids and move forward like we’re going to do as long as I’m here we’re going to coach the guys that show up and want to be coached and there’s a lot of kids that love this program and I’m I’m honored to coach them specific that crumby and given what have you seen as far as their communication did they both start fall Camp working at the same position and then due to what happened to Sam have to go to free and crumby missed a ton of time so then like you know in the middle of it right Darius goes to free crumby was out for six or seven weeks there with the thumb I think that provided some swing opportunities and then you know listen those three guys right Ryan Jones uh given and kumby are all doing a solid job right now they have Improvement to make but I’m really pleased with uh the coaching that’re they’re getting uh the Improvement that they’ve made but when we move Sam to strong safety that allowed for those kids to get better faster you know and and that’s the part that all of a sudden swung again that caused a little bit of maybe a little bit of delay in the regression of their um Improvement healthwise where you at for this game in terms of Duffy anybody else that I knowy didn’t play I feel terrible but Hayden Johnson probably is going to be out for the year now he got rolled up last night pretty good uh an unfortunate situation you know inside run drill um Duffy’s back um you know I think ws and you know alter Peter are going to be battling some of this chronic lower back pain you know there’s nothing structural there so we’re not putting them at risk but just getting them up and running you know we’re going to have to see on Thursday and and potentially even Friday I I know I got to sit in my first playoff meeting with the administration the teams all the groups and we’re probably going to have to dress 66 in the morning and then grab whoever the two guys are and put them in the locker room and get them sideline passes I there’s a couple positions and it’s again it just wow right the Special Teams what’s the impact with special teams in the two deep and who are you going to carry you know and all those things and I think uh jakis has done a really good job of battling and trying to practice but we’re going to have to probably make a decision on him as well but he does look good in all the coverage stuff it’s just how willing would he be to come up and Tackle with his shoulder outside of that um Raj really responded you know Raj commented that he would have been able to play on Thanksgiving weekend if he would have had to and that was a big step forward for us um I like the health of the football team right now I I think we’re refreshed and we’re reset and we’ll take the pads off for Wednesday and Thursday and we’ll be ready to go start you know he’s kind of moved to the outside that four six Tech kind of spot you feel like that’s kind of as he responded to that well do you think he’s playing better football than he might have inside well I don’t know that but I know like Eli duon heer Cody are playing at an extremely high level and we lost ADN a really good DN and and Dylan Hendricks that was good against run and pass and so will just provides that flexibility he had a big play last week you know he won on a one1 and got a strip sack and I we just were unfortunate I think that was a big deal in the South Dakota game we don’t get the fumble and we drop a int you know somewhere in there in a championship level game someone was going to need to make a uh have you know create a takeaway and so I no Will’s Will’s doing great and uh will will battled a little bit of a shoulder last week and he’s been back this week and so really pleased with his um being a great teammate yeah I’ll go move out there and whatever reps I can play I’ll play it’s been good Tim where’s this quarterback rank from what you’ve seen this year very I I think he’s very similar to the Missouri State kid you know I I do you know he’s a transfer down from I mean just watching Texas Tech it was interesting they brought a two-man pressure off the edge and I had to get ready for Texas Tech a year ago right Twan pressure off the edge I go okay it’s trap coverage and that ball came out of his hands and I told the defense that don’t worry about that he would have been ready cuz he saw it a million times he just he played at a really high level in that game um he doesn’t get sacked he has a really good Knack he’s been well coached as far as Sliding Away from maybe a free Blitzer in uh fiveman protection they do a really good job um shooting hoops at the same buckets same concepts of different formations and he’s extremely comfortable in full field progression reads and he’s really comfortable in the screen game um I think they do a heck of a job with all their meshing and and rub routes and those kind of things they have answers this a well schooled up football team he’s accurate and he has a big arm he gives it he gives his guys a shot all the time that’s probably what I appreciate about him the most cam named one of the three finalists uh for the Walter Pon W up not surprising but just kind of your thoughts for him get uh narrowing down that field there no just tremendous honor you know and that’ll be um great you know to to be able to be down in Frisco to hear his name called or not and to be able to get his family down there and some people supporting him those are and those are game-changing things not everybody gets to experience that some some of us play division 3 football and I I just think he’s earned it I think as players I mean again you guys a couple weeks ago we were leading into senior day and I had three weeks have passed man those guys love each other and they really appreciate cam the support for him offensively and defensively is just it’s a it’s a classic case of a really well-trained up quarterback by Randy Hedberg um another name Randy Hedberg you know got to coach and help to get to that spot and it’s it’s a great individual honor but cam would tell you without his teammates it’s not possible and um really happy for him any of our guys that get individual accolades it’s it’s pretty cool and that that would be another thing I would say to the fan base and we’ve got some guys that potentially right like people are going to want GRE A’s NFL jersey look at where he’s being positioned in this draft and we got some guys I think that our fans should come out and see um it’s we’ve got potentially three home games but we’re trying to go one and0 and some good players right it’s entertaining we got some good players that should come out and want to watch them talk about the fans I’ve seen the videos of you out with the students handing out tickets to them what was that experience like for you how vital is that in trying to connect with that the student body a lot and get them engaged in you know it was awesome and I think next year we’ll even do a little bit better job or maybe in the winter time time when we know it’s a real proactive campus that was on a Tuesday before Thanksgiving you know I asked a couple of the kids you going to skips class today and yeah coach we’re leaving town now but um you know just get to get out there and just see a lot of those guys I asked them what their all-time greats I mean Brock Jensen’s name’s still coming up Billy Turner there was two or three kids one kid was coming back for his second engineering degree said I was in school with Billy said well how in the hell old are you you know and I it was really it was really fun I had fun with it I’m more interested to see the blooper reels um and I’m going to get that someday but you know cool to see some of our freshmen are supported um B’s got a bunch of classmates from high school on campus he was by far the most favorite player in the team um cam all that stuff was cool and I I really look forward to doing something I think our marketing uh department has hasn’t asked me to do too much but when they have asked me it’s been some good ideas and some really cool um things and I I you know we’re going to a little bit of a plan for February as well we got to get the the student body we got to get um everybody to think it’s pretty cool to be a bison and to wave green and yellow flags and wear green and bison you know green and yellow bison gear it I I just we’ve lost that a little bit in our society and I think it’s cool to try to bring back the community aspect of it not there again I’m I just let’s get to this game and let’s just let’s respect the fact that you got to win this one to get to the next one and let’s not leave the door open and it takes all of us
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