Happy Hour with John Gaskins

We're a little protective of our fellow South Dakotan Kalen DeBoer in these parts.
 
The Milbank native, a former national championship receiver and three-time national championship head coach at the University of Sioux Falls knew what he signed up for when he agreed to step into Nick Saban's gargantuan shoes at Alabama in January 2024.
 
Since then, DeBoer has posted a 25-9 overall record and 15-5 mark in the snake pit of the SEC, plus a 7-3 record against Top 10 teams, including two Top 5 wins over this era's other SEC 800 lb. gorilla, Georgia. There's also the trip to the CFB Playoff and the one win over Oklahoma in that event just last year. 
 
And, DeBoer has done all this in the NIL era, which CFB experts universally agree has made the sport far more parity-stricken than during Saban's run of six national titles in 12 seasons (2009-20). 
 
After all, Saban didn't win a "Natty" in his final three seasons after NIL kicked in on July 1, 2021.
 
So, DeBoer's done pretty well, right? 
 
Well, yeah, but not good enough to win over many Alabama fans (fans: short for fanatics) who pine for titles. 
 
And, who pine for the laser-eyed death staring, forehead vein-popping, headset-slamming, ass-chewing temper tantrums Saban was famous for when he couldn't stand his players not living up to his standards — nor the refs — right there, in clear national television view.
 
DeBoer's been depicted as too nice and his teams — particularly up front and in the run game — as too soft, fair or not, during his first couple of seasons.
 
But his third campaign has been a different story. The Crimson Tide have a game-wrecking defensive line (that has hurried quarterbacks into a nation-best four interceptions for touchdowns) and a road-grading offensive line to lead a salty ground attack that has helped Heisman candidate quarterback Keelon Russell operate with otherworldly athleticism and highlight-making plays.
 
That got some of DeBoer's detractors closer to his side. But it is what happened on Saturday night in a home loss (always a cardinal sin under Saban) to Georgia that all of a sudden has Tide fans turning:
 
DeBoer went full throttle Saban nuclear in the fourth quarter of Saturday night's ABC-televised showdown. Twice.
 
Once at the officials when they failed to call a blatantly obvious pass interference on a Russell throw to the end zone, which resulted a play later in Russell being sacked out of field goal range, keeping Alabama at a 20-17 deficit.
 
Then, once at one of his own players — cornerback Dijon Lee, Jr., who is making roughly $500,000 in NIL money — for his after-play personal foul push on a Georgia player that gifted the Bulldogs a first down and sealed Bama's loss.
 
In other words, DeBoer may have scored more points with Tide fans in his ninth loss than he ever did in his 25 wins because it has fully squashed the "nice" and "soft" narratives.
 
DeBoer's best friend is Sioux Falls resident and local college and prep TV football analyst Kurtiss Riggs, who also caught 234 passes from quarterback Riggs during their time together at the University of Sioux Falls, including the 1996 national championship team. 
 
Riggs also coached quarterbacks co-called offensive plays with DeBoer when the latter was USF's head coach from 2005-09 and went 67-3 and won three national titles in his final four seasons.
 
Few know DeBoer better than Riggs, who frequently texts and calls DeBoer and occasionally visits DeBoer in Tuscaloosa. 
 
So, has there always been this much fire burning inside of the usually mild-mannered DeBoer?
 
Hear what Riggs had to say in his latest weekly appearance on Happy Hour, a show that also includes these topics:
 
* New opening segment: "What are you DOING?" Riggs picks apart bumbling quarterback and head coaching errors from the NFL over the weekend
 
* Nebraska's latest spotlight loss, this time to Indiana
 
* Saturday's SDSU vs UND tilt
 
* Reaction to SDSU coach Dan Jackson telling Happy Hour on Monday he feels the Jackrabbits would compete "at the top" of the Mountain West conference
 
* Some recent Metro prep observations
 
* Trick plays gone wrong, and what goes into calling them. Is there a right time and wrong time?

Kurtiss Riggs on SDSU & USD if they were in Mountain West, Kalen DeBoer's inferno vs. Georgia, Huskers "almost" beating Hoosiers, NFL coaching and QB blunders

Jacks "top" of Mountain West if they were there? Dan Jackson is not delusional and actual facts prove it

South Dakota's two Div. I teams went 1-0 on Saturday. 
 
While No. 10-ranked USD turned a seven-point lead after three quarters into a 31-10 win by outscoring No. 25 Southern Illinois 14-0 in the fourth quarter, No. 1 SDSU experienced a stress-free day with its first non-gameday Saturday since Aug. 21, and last until Thanksgiving weekend. That is, if the 5-1 Jackrabbits earn a first-round playoff bye, which seems like a safe bet at the moment.
 
The Coyotes (5-2) also appear to be trending in that direction, given their home dominance (4-0, with an average score of 44-16). However, they still face SDSU, No. 15 North Dakota (Oct. 24), No. 25 Northern Iowa (Nov. 7) and No. 13 Illinois State (Nov. 14).
 
The Jacks are at UND on Saturday, host USD on Oct. 31, and finish at UNI (Nov. 7) and SIU (Nov. 14).
 
As always, both coaches joined for their weekly Monday visit with Happy Hour.
 

USD's Matt Vitzthum
 
So, what did Vitzthum learn about the Coyotes that we didn't know before they beat the Salukis? 
 
Why are we starting to see an uptick from former All-American running back Charles Pierre, who has rushed for 100 yards in back-to-back games for the first time this season?
 
What is subtly progressing in freshman quarterback Austyn Modrzewski's game?
 
What has gone into the rapid rise of redshirt freshman Lucas Feldkamp at center? 
 
Feldkamp is from Brandon Valley, a sign USD does, indeed seriously recruit and occasionally land an in-state talent. Vitzthum understands SDSU has more South Dakota players on the roster, but he is tired of the narrative that USD ignores or cannot sign them. It is nuanced. Listen to Vitzthum's nuance.
 
What about 1-5 Murray State — picked to finish last in the MVFC and heading there fast — will be most challenging for the Yotes on Saturday?
 
 
SDSU's Dan Jackson
 
How does the coach of the No. 1 FCS team in the country spend a bye weekend? Football watching and flat tire fixing. (Well... sort of.)
 
Which former fellow SDSU assistant coach-turned someone else's head coach did Jackson chat with while watching games on Saturday? 
 
After seeing UNLV beat NDSU, how well does Jackson feel SDSU would compete in the FBS Mountain West Conference?
 
Will quarterback Chase Mason — who Sioux Falls Live reported last week is returning and starting at UND after missing the last 2.5 games — need a different kind of plan considering his nearly four-week absence from game reps? 
 
Will SDSU have plans for two different quarterbacks after UND's Jerry Kaminsky had to leave the Fighting Hawks' loss at Northern Iowa?
 
How much will the possible return of UND pass rusher Lance Rucker increase the challenge the Jacks' offense will face?

The Happy Hour host walks through Nebraska's 31st consecutive loss to an AP Top 25 opponent, which appeared closer to an actual win than any of the other 30.
But does this close, but no cigar mean? A cigar? The smell of a cigar?