I will provide my observations.
1. When we lost Crenshaw the game was essentially over. Indiana State stacked the box and dared us to throw. Craycraft was inconsistent and that should be expected. He also did not win the starting position. He was third behind Waide.
2. The line play is the root of the issue. They need time for development.
3. The team is relatively young which equates to being highly inconsistent. Most programs don't have to deal with the amount of youth all at one time.
4. They are focused at recruiting linemen in alignment that we need to win in this league.
5. The money is important, but at the end of the day money is not the only thing needed to get good recruits. North Dakota State doesn't even have their own stadium they rent it. What matters more is relationships and trust in coaching. If you look at the players Phillips has recruited, they've been closer to what you want versus any of Pelini recruits. Remember his hands are tied to some degree on the rate of change. But I think Phillips is patient. I happen to think that Phillips is very similar and an older version of PJ Fleck. Fleck is far more nuanced, but they have similar attributes. Interestingly both coached with Tressel. I believe PJ has one of the Tressels' working for him. Look at how long it's taken PJ fleck to make Minnesota respectable. Minnesota would have been one of the top teams in the west had they not lost their running back. They don't have the depth yet, but their starters can play with anyone. And their offensive line is one of the best in the Big ten.
When we lost Crenshaw to that lower body injury we just don't have the depth and consistency to be able to beat teams. It's just going to take time. The only way to speed it up is transfers. However, with the number of local recruits Pellini put on the team, if they let these kids go it will have a negative effect on YSU as a whole in terms of perception in the community. They could quickly lose even more support permanently. Right now there's a bunch of fair weather fans that will turn out if they start winning again. Many of the diehards from the 90s are in retirement homes or dead.