Happy Hour with John Gaskins

This is an exciting week to be a University of South Dakota football player, coach, administrator, booster, or fan.
 
The Coyotes, ranked No. 10 nationally in the FCS, are off to a hot 3-0 start with a dazzling freshman quarterback and take their show on Saturday to Boise State, home of the best modern "Group of Six" program and current best non-power conference FBS team in the country.
 
USD's 9 p.m. game on Saturday against the new Pac-12 squad—formerly a Mountain West giant—will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network. The Coyotes are 24.5-point underdogs, as of Wednesday morning.
 
This is a rare opportunity to showcase to the FBS world what the Yotes have built over the last several years: One of the top 10 programs in the FCS.
 
It is also a chance to naturally ponder an FBS future for USD, similar to how many in the Rushmore State contemplate that future for SDSU. 
 
After all, the 10-time FCS champion North Dakota State is already 3-0 in its FBS maiden voyage, with an impressive win at traditionally tough-to-beat Mountain West mainstay Air Force last weekend.
 
Programs weaker than USD and SDSU have joined the FBS and proven competitive.

But while the Jackrabbits have been the state's bigger football brand—two national titles and increasing sellouts at the 19,000-seat Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium—the Coyotes have remained mostly in the shadows of FBS talk as they still chase their first FCS Championship game appearance and fall short of selling out the 9,100-seat DakotaDome for games other than SDSU and NDSU.
 
A common question when the letters FBS are brought up in the same breath as USD— How could they possibly afford it? 
 
NDSU paid over $17.5 million just to join the FBS and Mountain West. Sacramento State paid over $20 million to nonsensically join the Mid-American Conference, which is two and three time zones away.
 
And, yes, USD and SDSU (and Montana and Montana State, two other FCS powers) would need a conference invitation to make their jump. Would USD even be in the conversation?
 
USD athletic director Jon Schemmel is well aware of all of these questions and answered them in a 47-minute one-on-one chat with the Happy Hour host on Tuesday.
 
You'll hear about many things you'd want to know regarding USD's football finances and plans—its Top 10 FCS budget, the breakdown of its funding from student fees versus boosters versus ticket sales, further DakotaDome renovations, and increased attendance
 
Schemmel eagerly points out the $47.5 million raised since he arrived as athletics director in December 2023, noting that much of that has gone toward football.
 
But to what extent has USD explored the feasibility of joining the FBS, which would likely mean roughly doubling its football budget? Where would that money come from?
 
And what is USD's strategy to continue drawing more fans into the DakotaDome until it is almost regularly full? 
 
If there is one thing Schemmel has established in his short tenure besides aggressive fundraising, it is a willingness to take a deep peek behind the curtain.
 
Before all this, the Happy Hour host checks in on polarizing former SDSU national championship coach Jimmy Rogers at Iowa State. The Cyclones almost earned Rogers a major early road victory against in-state rival Iowa on Saturday.
 
Why is Rogers proving what the Happy Hour host proclaimed upon his hiring last December—that he was the perfect hire for that job?

The Happy Hour host checks in on polarizing former SDSU national championship coach Jimmy Rogers at Iowa State. The Cyclones almost earned Rogers a major early road victory against in-state rival Iowa on Saturday.
 
Why is Rogers proving what the Happy Hour host proclaimed upon his hiring last December—that he was the perfect hire for that job?

This is an exciting week to be a University of South Dakota football player, coach, administrator, booster, or fan.
 
The Coyotes, ranked No. 10 nationally in the FCS, are off to a hot 3-0 start with a dazzling freshman quarterback and take their show on Saturday to Boise State, home of the best modern "Group of Six" program and current best non-power conference FBS team in the country.
 
USD's 9 p.m. game on Saturday against the new Pac-12 squad—formerly a Mountain West giant—will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network. The Coyotes are 24.5-point underdogs, as of Wednesday morning.
 
This is a rare opportunity to showcase to the FBS world what the Yotes have built over the last several years: One of the top 10 programs in the FCS.
 
It is also a chance to naturally ponder an FBS future for USD, similar to how many in the Rushmore State contemplate that future for SDSU. 
 
After all, the 10-time FCS champion North Dakota State is already 3-0 in its FBS maiden voyage, with an impressive win at traditionally tough-to-beat Mountain West mainstay Air Force last weekend.
 
Programs weaker than USD and SDSU have joined the FBS and proven competitive.

But while the Jackrabbits have been the state's bigger football brand—two national titles and increasing sellouts at the 19,000-seat Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium—the Coyotes have remained mostly in the shadows of FBS talk as they still chase their first FCS Championship game appearance and fall short of selling out the 9,100-seat DakotaDome for games other than SDSU and NDSU.
 
A common question when the letters FBS are brought up in the same breath as USD— How could they possibly afford it? 
 
NDSU paid over $17.5 million just to join the FBS and Mountain West. Sacramento State paid over $20 million to nonsensically join the Mid-American Conference, which is two and three time zones away.
 
And, yes, USD and SDSU (and Montana and Montana State, two other FCS powers) would need a conference invitation to make their jump. Would USD even be in the conversation?
 
USD athletic director Jon Schemmel is well aware of all of these questions and answered them in a 47-minute one-on-one chat with the Happy Hour host on Tuesday.
 
You'll hear about many things you'd want to know regarding USD's football finances and plans—its Top 10 FCS budget, the breakdown of its funding from student fees versus boosters versus ticket sales, further DakotaDome renovations, and increased attendance
 
Schemmel eagerly points out the $47.5 million raised since he arrived as athletics director in December 2023, noting that much of that has gone toward football.
 
But to what extent has USD explored the feasibility of joining the FBS, which would likely mean roughly doubling its football budget? Where would that money come from?
 
And what is USD's strategy to continue drawing more fans into the DakotaDome until it is almost regularly full? 
 
If there is one thing Schemmel has established in his short tenure besides aggressive fundraising, it is a willingness to take a deep peek behind the curtain.

Chase Mason knew what he signed up for when he decided to return to South Dakota State for his final year of college football eligibility instead of accepting $1,000,000-plus offers to be the starting quarterback at a Power Four program.
 
As a reminder, the gunslinger and freak athlete from Viborg-Hurley first told Happy Hour last December he was coming back to SDSU because he loves Brookings, wants to win a national title, and NFL scouts told him he didn't need to go "up" to the FBS to prove he was NFL Draft-worthy.
 
With all that hype, Mason knew he'd be picked apart, game-by-game if not throw-by-throw, in the prism of both his NFL Draftability and his ability to lead the Jackrabbits to Nashville for the FCS Championship.
 
And through three games? Plenty of impressive throws, including deep cannon shots for touchdowns. The stat line — 
 
56 percent completion (not great)
256 passing yards per game
9.1 yards per attempt (that's super good... he gets in downfield effectively)
4 touchdowns to 1 interception
67 yards gained at 25 yards lost on 18 rushing attempts (the "lost" yards are from sacks)
1 rushing touchdown
 
His legs — used as lethal weapons when he came in to "wildcat" for Mark Gronowski on the Jacks' 2023 and '24 teams — have not been utilized much. This is understandable, given the long season, the need to reserve energy and the QB run scheme for tougher opponents when the Jacks will need his legs more, and his foot injury that knocked him out for six of SDSU's final seven games last season.
 
His arm? His arm? Well, no doubt, it's still a cannon. Still firing missiles and rockets and name your favorite kind of spacecraft. But there are misfires. He's missed 44 percent of the time. Yes, some of those are drops. But some of those are throws he should make. Throws that might be costly if he can't make them against some of SDSU's tougher opponents, like No. 10 Youngstown State on Saturday.
 
If only Happy Hour had a regular analyst with a keen quarterback eye who has coached and analyzed quarterbacks for a living for over 20 years, from the youth level at Sanford Sports Academy (with Mason among his former clients) to some of the best Indoor Football League professional QBs of all time.
 
Oh, wait, Happy Hour does have someone like that. His name is Kurtiss Riggs, who is also the color analyst on SDSU's television games for several years and a veteran high school football TV and radio analyst (and now the national analyst for IFL telecasts). 
 
His assessment of Mason goes back to his days as a Viborg-Hurley Cougar, when Mason came to the SSA to work with Riggs his senior year, a partnership that led to current Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer offering Mason a scholarship at Fresno State (Mason turned that down to accept a scholarship to play baseball at Nebraska).
 
Riggs has been mostly complimentary of Mason's mechanics and performance and still likes Mason's chances of being drafted based off his measurables (6'4, 250 lb. of muscle, speed, athleticism) and what he has already put on tape.
 
But... those misfires? Riggs breaks them down on this week's Happy Hour, part of Riggs's weekly appearance to analyze plenty of hot football topics that matter to local football fans, such as:
 
* SDSU's offensive performance overall so far
 
* Youngstown State quarterback and reigning Walter Payton Award winner Beau Brungard's skill set and how the Jacks can limit him on Saturday in a Top 10 tilt
 
* USD freshman quarterback Austin Modrzewski's continued "wow" moments and how equipped the Coyotes are to give Boise State a challenge on Saturday
 
* Alabama's scorching second half at Kentucky and freshman quarterback Keelon Russell's early returns
 
* NDSU's impressive Mountain West Conference debut win at Air Force and the Bison's increasing odds to win the league
 
* Some FCS wins over FBS teams, like Montana State-Nevada and Illinois State-Northern Illinois
 
* A scan through NFL Week 1, particularly quarterbacks that left a glowing impression (or not)
 
Before 52 minutes of football feasting from Riggs, the Happy Hour host revels in another thrilling finish and big-name winner at the Sioux Falls PGA Tour Champions stop.
 
Then, something you should know about the Canaries' other king who may have played his last professional game. Mike Hart delivered clutch moments in all three playoff games against Kansas City to (potentially) go out with a bang... just like "Home Run King" Jabari Henry the week before.

Kurtiss Riggs on SDSU, USD, Alabama, NDSU, FCS wins over FBS, opening week NFL, and a little Metro prep