Happy Hour with John Gaskins

Not all FCS vs. Big Ten games are created equal.
 
South Dakota State at Northwestern is not exactly Stetson at Ohio State.
 
But you knew that and so does Vegas.
 
Oddsmakers tab FCS No. 3 SDSU a 13.5- point underdog against the Wildcats, who are picked to finish 14th out of 18 teams in their league.
 
So, Saturday should be competitive, but what advantages do the Cats own?
 
Happy Hour calls on Northwestern's 33-year radio analyst Ted Albrecht to tap into his wealth of access and knowledge about the program and several specific players. 
 
What has offensive coordinating genius gypsy Chip Kelly and Michigan State transfer quarterback Aidan Chiles -- plus several new offensive linemen and defenders -- brought to the fold?
 
Albrecht clearly did his homework on the Jacks. Hear what a seasoned Big Ten observer makes of quarterback Chase Mason, offensive tackle Quinten Christensen and SDSU's deep front seven on defense.
 
And stay for Albrecht's stories about blocking for Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton with the Chicago Bears from 1976-81.

Brandon Valley football coach Matt Christensen describing his squad's trip to the Omaha area to beat Bellevue West in the first of five showdowns between metro area teams from Omaha and Sioux Falls this season.
 
Christensen also previews his top-rated Lynx battle with No.2 O'Gorman in the Pigskin Classic on Saturday night, a game you can watch live at 6 p.m. and (later) on demand with the Midwest Sports+ app.

The host and Sioux Falls sportswriter Trent Singer tap into the Jacks-Northwestern, USD-Northern Colorado, and O' Gorman-Brandon Valley matchups during the Thirsty Thursday Football Forecast from Orion Pub.
 
Also covered over a couple pints: Dolly Parton, Banana Ball's invasion of The Birdcage, the Canaries' wild walk-off win and final homestand, and the unforgettable Nebraska-SDSU volleyball match on Wednesday in Brookings.

NLA: Zim on Jacks & Yotes dominance, Pioneer League absurdity, Northwestern, Augie/USF, plus the Twins are... fun?!

Back in April, when South Dakota appeared to have a red-hot three-horse starting quarterback race, the Happy Hour host asked new head coach Matt Vitzthum how to pronounce the consonant-heavy last name of the redshirt freshman who was duking it out with a pair of seniors—both of whom had previously been worthy of a roster spot at FBS Northern Illinois.
 
"You're going to want to remember this name," Vitzthum said of two-time Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year Austin Modzewski: 
 
"It's Muh-jet-skee."
 
Of course, most human brains went straight to, "sounds like 'my jet ski.'"
 
"Vitz" was dropping a hint that Modzewski was a player Coyote fans would get to know eventually, and that moment arrived during Saturday's season opener against Central Connecticut State.
 
It didn't take long for the kid to look like he was blazing at turbo speed on his jet ski on your local lake.
 
Modzewski's 68-yard fuel-injected touchdown run on USD's second drive — following a shaky three-and-out debut possession — was his "Hello, World" moment. And it was not a flash in the pan.
 
The freshman earned the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor by tying Coyote Hall of Famer Wes Boschoner's school record of six touchdown passes, part of a 16-for-20, 304-yard virtuoso through the air to go with his land speed showcase.
 
What contributed to that performance? 
 
Also, is this a sign that Vitzthum, with a background in both quarterback coaching and offensive play-calling, plans to keep opening up an offense that last season was a mostly-tightly-wrapped ground-and-pound-and-play-action vehicle under defensive-minded head coach Travis Johansen?
 
Vitzthum provides answers to those questions, plus the impact on the entire offense of running back Keyondray Jones-Logan's return, the "new" but experienced offensive line, and defensive highlights from the 59-20 bludgeoning of the Blue Devils.
 
"Coach Vitz" also walks through his emotions in his first-ever game as a head coach, anywhere, and what he saw in Saturday's opponent Northern Colorado from the Bears' one-point loss to Big Sky foe Weber State.
 
UNC had the Coyotes beaten in last season's Game 3 in the DakotaDome before the Yotes pulled a rabbit out of the hat and won in overtime. What remains the same and what new challenges will the Bears bring on both offense and defense?
 
After Vitz's weekly Happy Hour conversation, the host\ calls on USD TV analyst and former Coyote cornerback Andre Fields for his own assessment, plus some rather deep and illuminating thoughts on the size of USD's home crowds and what can be done to make them grow.
 
Before all this, the host addresses the bigger picture:
 
Would USD be ready both on the field and at the bank if the FBS came calling today? The answer to the former seems obvious. The answer to the latter is not so clear.
 
And what about SDSU?
 
Instead of wondering, you'll hear what recent plugged-in Happy Hour guests have said to clue the public in on if both South Dakota schools would be ready and able to afford the FBS life that North Dakota State just signed up for, and is currently crushing (so far).