Hawaii was on the mind of Northwestern coach Randy Walker at his weekly press conference Monday.
Walker showed up in a blazer and a white NU polo shirt unbuttoned at the top instead of his usual purple shirt and tie.
“I was going to wear sunglasses down here,” Walker said.
He described some ground rules for the Wildcats (6-5, 5-3 Big Ten) while they’re in Aloha Land playing Hawaii (5-5), including no shark hunting, no surfing and no moped riding.
“He was talking about mopeds for 10 minutes,” junior defensive end Loren Howard said.
“I used to think they were fun, but apparently they’re a hazard,” senior running back Noah Herron said.
The Cats leave for Hawaii Wednesday morning, and they’re set to arrive that evening.
Walker said he wants the team to visit Pearl Harbor and the beaches.
“I want them to experience Hawaii and enjoy the trip,” Walker said. “It is a unique place and maybe some of them will never get back there again.”
The team is planning a Thanksgiving dinner Thursday, and several of the players’ family members are joining them.
“My family beat me there,” Herron said. “They got there yesterday. My little sister got school off for the whole week.
“It’s ridiculous.”
NU will face a Hawaii team that lost its home opener to Florida Atlantic but has since won five straight games in Honolulu.
The Cats will be challenged by Hawaii senior quarterback Timmy Chang, who earlier this year set the NCAA career record for passing yardage.
Entering his final two games of the season, Chang has 15,846 yards, 105 touchdowns and 1,297 completions in his career.
The preseason WAC Offensive Player of the Year ranks second nationally with 303.2 yards per game and he’s coming off a career-best six-touchdown performance in a 52-21 win over Idaho.
NU’s 88th-ranked pass defense has improved this season but needs a big game at Aloha Stadium.
“A lot of that game is going to be on (the secondary’s) shoulders,” senior cornerback Marvin Ward said.
But Walker said the key to winning at Hawaii will be stopping the Warriors’ running game and forcing Chang to throw on every down.
“We’re playing one of the best quarterbacks in the country and one of the most prolific in NCAA history,” Walker said.
“But to win the game, we still have to stop the run.”
