Bison notebook: Rain, not heat and humidity, became the weather issue

CHARLESTON, S.C. — North Dakota State took weeks to prepare for the weather in South Carolina's low country. Just not the right weather.

While the Bison coaching staff readied the team for hot and humid conditions common to this area in the summer — having players alter their diet and hydration habits to avoid cramps and fatigue, for example — it was rain that affected the game early.

The temperature at kickoff was a pleasant 73 degrees, but it was raining heavily as it had been for a couple of hours.

"I thought we handled some things with the weather. Honestly, rain is about the only thing we didn't prepare for. The one day we had rain during camp, it was lightning and stuff so we had to go inside," Bison head coach Tim Polasek said.

The precipitation eventually lightened and stoppe