Coach Entz speaks on Saturday’s game, Covid-19 and more

For the first and only time this fall we will have a Bison game to watch this Saturday.

Central Arkansas comes to Fargo to take on the reigning champs at the Fargodome. The Bears carry with them a 2-1 record and are fresh off a 27-20 comeback win over MVFC’s own Missouri State.

Despite UCA’s seemingly three-game head start to get their feet wet, Bison Head Coach Matt Entz isn’t sweating it.

“I’m going to approach it like it’s the first game of our season. So that’s kind of what I mentioned earlier, we’re trying to cover every detail, every situation to make sure our kids are prepared the best they can…last thing I’m going to do is sit back and worry about them, I have plenty to worry about with the Bison right now.”

Saturday may turn out to be the strangest game day in Bison history. Covid-19 concerns have lead to the decision to take away any tailgating, and after the initial plan was to allow 8,000 or so fans into the dome, the game will now only be attended by families of the players.

However, Entz is not worried about a potentially mitigated home-field advantage.

“I’ve only made comments to our team a couple of different times with anticipation that we’re going to bring our own energy. It’s the Bison versus the Bison, we’re not going to use the lack of fans or a quieter home venue as an excuse.”

So perhaps the Fargodome will simply feel like it does when a chunk of the crowd leaves at halftime when the Bison are running an opponent out of the building.

With a 10-game MVFC only schedule now set to begin in February, why play this game at all amid all the Covid concerns? According to Coach Entz, the players have been kept safe from the virus.

“This is my opinion only so you can take it for that, I don’t think Covid was spread from the game of football. I didn’t see it spread at practice and I didn’t see it spread in the weight room, and so I thought we could provide as safe an area as anyone.”

Beyond this, Entz says the players wanted to play, even if it is for just one game.

“When the conference season was canceled the number one priority for our seniors was to make sure there was continued development for our young kids. And our young kids, in turn, said their number one priority was to make sure our seniors had one last shot to go out because they had earned it.”

What about that hotshot NFL prospect behind center for the Herd? Is this it for Trey Lance in the green and gold? To be determined. The Bison and Coach Entz will have to cross that bridge when they come to it as Lance has until mid-January to make a decision.

But for now, Entz is just trying to appreciate the here and now

“I’m going to enjoy this one opportunity with this group…this is the only time that this group of coaches and players will ever get to step on the field together. So we need to make sure we do it the right way and we’re able to leave our legacy as the 2020 football team.”

The Bison are back on Saturday folks. For three hours or so we can all sink into our chair or favorite spot on the couch and enjoy. Then when reality rears its ugly head Monday morning, hopefully, it will be a little easier to deal with after a Bison win.