There's just something different about the kids at these upper midwest & "fly-over state" programs. The Dakotas, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, etc.....I know it's a stereotype but I can't help but think that a lot of these kids have been bailing hay on their family farms since they were 6 years old and have developed a work-ethic and discipline that a lot of east coast, big-city kids don't have. They play with a selflessness.....very little, if any "look at me" showmanship....just hard-nosed, disciplined football.
NDSU has built a machine. You either buy into the philosophy and approach of the machine or you can't play for them.