Extensive Planning Done, Bison Set for Hawaii - Fargo - InForum

That was the verdict from Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz when North Dakota State head coach Tim Polasek reached out for advice on handling a massive logistical hurdle.

The Bison are staring down a trip that will last most of four days across an ocean to face the University of Hawaii. It is a stark departure from the routine rhythm of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

The journey kicks off with a charter flight departing late Thursday morning, leading into a Friday practice at a local Honolulu high school. Kickoff against the Rainbow Warriors is set for 10 p.m. Central time on Saturday, with the team scheduled to touch back down in Fargo at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

For players accustomed to regional bus trips or quick afternoon flights within the Central time zone, the schedule demands an entirely different level of physical and mental stamina. Offensive guard Griffin Empey noted the scale of the operation.

“It is kind of like going down to Frisco, sort of a week ordeal,” said Empey.

Polasek ultimately skipped a side trip to Pearl Harbor after weighing whether to call former Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl, realizing the venture had to remain strictly a business trip. Yet Ferentz convinced him that a structured mental break to visit the historic site for lunch would benefit a mature roster.

“We get to coach football and it’s fun and your guys are mature enough, your program is good enough to handle it and they’ll be ready to go.”

Ferentz told Polasek.

The Bison appear somewhat more healthy following a bye week. Empey returns to the lineup after missing the UTEP game with a broken finger, and left tackle Ryan Babatz is back after sitting out two games with an ankle sprain.

Tight end Kaden Zenzen has resumed practicing and will play, while linebacker Ray James Jr. is good to go. The status of starting right tackle Kene Anene remains questionable due to an ankle sprain sustained against UTEP.

Beyond the weekend matchup, North Dakota State controls its path toward the Mountain West Conference title game scheduled for December 4. If the Bison and New Mexico win the rest of their league games, the championship contest will take place in Albuquerque. NDSU closes its conference schedule at home against Northern Illinois and travels to play league member San Jose State on November 27 in a game designated as nonconference.

Alternative postseason scenarios remain in play. If Wyoming wins its upcoming games against UTEP and New Mexico, the Cowboys would host the title game instead. For now, however, the coaching staff insists the broader conference race stays outside the locker room.

“Our approach and our message has been, there is no rearview mirror, there is no big picture,” said Polasek.

The team faces a 3,000-mile journey and an opponent waiting under late-night island kickoff conditions. How the roster absorbs the four-day transit window will dictate whether the business trip yields the result the Bison need.