Life’s a beach? It’s ‘big boy hours’ in Hawaii, where Boise State will mix fun with work

Boise State’s game Saturday evening at Hawaii poses plenty of on-field challenges. There’s the aggressive Hawaii pass-first offense to deal with, and the humidity will be around 71% come kickoff time, with temperatures in the low 80s.

Then there are the off-the-field challenges, starting with a plane ride that exceeds six hours from Boise to Honolulu, the four-hour time change between the two cities, and — well, the sand and the surf. Beautiful beaches are only 2 miles away from Hawaii’s stadium at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, and the tropical paradise can be a little distracting.

“They’re going to have an hour or two to go walk on the beach and hang out,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson acknowledged Monday. “I tell them it’s big boy hours around here.”

The Broncos (4-1, 1-0 Mountain West) were flying to Honolulu on Thursday in preparation for the game against the Rainbow Warriors (2-3, 0-1), which will kick off at 9 p.m. Mountain time Saturday — which is 5 p.m. local time, the sun still shining in Hawaii.

It’s the type of game that brings a host of logistical problems for the Broncos to manage and distractions that not many other game destinations provide.

Danielson said he’s well aware of the excitement surrounding traveling to Hawaii. Some players might not have been to the beach before or visited a tropical island, and this game doesn’t roll around every other year. The last time Boise State played at Hawaii was 2020.

The first-year coach is happy to let players indulge in some of the joy of the Aloha State when they have the chance, which is what makes flying out on Thursday for a Saturday game important.

“That’s the college football experience, too, when they go places like this,” Danielson said. “A lot of our players have never been to Hawaii before. I want them to experience it; it’s a phenomenal place.”

As for other challenges, the Broncos aren’t changing too much. Boise State faced a major time difference this season when it traveled to Statesboro, Georgia, to face Georgia Southern in its opening game. And the weather that evening — for a game the Broncos won 56-45 — was a balmy 92 degrees, with the humidity reading at 62%.

Of course, the Broncos are heading the other direction this time, which means their inner-body clocks could still be telling them it’s 9 p.m. at kickoff.

Danielson said the team won’t change practice times in the lead-up to the game, but he said that in addition to some free hours for fun, leaving Boise a day earlier than usual is vital to get acclimated. There’s also the fact that the Broncos’ thinking it’s later than it is at kickoff wouldn’t be a big deal — two recent home games kicked off at 8 p.m. Mountain time.

“It’s not a huge difference in regards to when kickoff is, but how we handle the mornings and our practice because it is a difference,” Danielson said. “We’re going to be intentional, especially when we get over there, to handle some of those things.”

The coaching staff has the serious business covered, and the players still have plenty to be excited about.

Junior defensive tackle Braxton Fely and redshirt senior safety Kaonohi Kaniho both have family from Hawaii — Kaniho was born and raised in Kahuku, Hawai’i. Redshirt senior safety Rodney Robinson said he received an offer to play football at Hawaii.

“After we get our work in and do the things that we need to do there, it’s definitely going to be good for us to just relax and enjoy the scenery and everything like that, but all while staying focused on the mission,” Robinson said this week.

As for the long flight and time difference?

“I’m probably gonna be sleeping on the plane,” Robinson laughed.

Hawaii vs. Boise State

When: 9 p.m. Mountain time, Saturday

Where: Clarence T.C. Ching Complex (15,194, Turf)

TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Robert Turbin)

Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 160 or 201 (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 4-1; Hawaii 2-3

Series: Boise State leads 15-3

Last meeting: Boise State beat Hawaii 40-32 in 2020

Vegas line: Boise State by 20.5 points

Weather: High of 85, low of 75, humidity 62%, partly cloudy skies, 6% chance of rain