Happy Hour with John Gaskins

Every Friday, "South Dakota Sports Lounge" displays some of the most captivating and entertaining conversations from daily sports talk shows in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Fargo. 
 
Here are this week's segments:



 
Happy Hour with John Gaskins: USD Athletic Director Jon Schemmel candidly offers insight into the football program's budget, finances, ticket sales, fan base development, and its exploration of a possible move up to the FBS should the opportunity present itself.
 
Hot Mic with Dom Izzo: Veteran FCS reporter and columnist Sam Herder discusses the FCS landscape after Big Sky and MVFC wins over FBS teams in the first couple weeks of the season
 
Nate Brown Show:  St. Paul Pioneer Press Vikings beat reporter Dane Mizutani breaks down the season-opening win over the Packers, the upcoming divisional matchup with the Bears, and whether Packers fans should be upset with LaFleur. 
 
Gridiron Report (SD High School Football): Marcus Traxler and Landon Dierks break down the week's hottest topics.

A pickled egg may not look like something that will be love at first bite or go down smoothly.
 
After all, it is a hard-boiled egg, peeled and soaked in a savory (some would say even sour) vinegar-based brine. Those who love their pickled eggs prefer some tabasco seasoning to give them an even sharper kick.
 
Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer is one of those people. That's one reason he calls Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls "the best bar in the world," because it serves pickled eggs along with old school beers like Hamm's, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller High Life and Coors (Banquet, not Light, although the Light is also on tap).
 
What on Earth does this have to do with both South Dakota Division I football teams' much-anticipated primetime showdowns on Saturday night?
 
Well, for one, Singer joined the Happy Hour host on Thursday at Orion Pub, as always, to preview their weekly "Thirsty Thursday Football Forecast" show. 
 
And Singer really, really, really wanted to enjoy an Orion pickled egg while breaking down No. 2 South Dakota State's FCS Top 10 tilt with No. 9 Youngstown State and No. 10 South Dakota's trip to the "Smurf Turf" at Boise State, which would rank No. 28 in the FBS if the AP poll extended past No. 25.
 
But, for two, both the Jackrabbits and Coyotes games might be just like eating pickled eggs.
 
For SDSU, defending a salty dual threat Walter Payton Award quarterback like YSU's Beau Brungard may appear to be hard and bitter, but if the Jacks can do it well enough — and if Chase Mason and the offense can scorch YSU's defense like they did Stetson and New Haven, and like Kentucky scorched the Penguins — then things will feel awfully tangy and delicious in a sold-out Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
 
Same thing goes for USD in stopping speedy battering ram Dylan Riley — the Pac-12 offensive player of the week and Doak Walker national running back of the week after 203 yards against Memphis — and Austin Modrzewski's task of still pumping out explosive plays and sustained drives against a BSU defense that is giving up over 500 yards per game.
 
The host and Singer pick apart multiple matchups from several angles. What "tells" from early games factor into the predictions for Game 4?
 
After Singer demonstrates how to properly enjoy a pickled egg and the host vents about public weight room pet peeves, you will not be short-changed on pregame analysis.
 
Plus, a glimpse into what could be the regular season Game of the Year in South Dakota Class 11AAA high school football: No. 2 Sioux Falls Jefferson at No. 1 Brandon Valley.
 
There is also a slate of quick hits: UND at Nebraska, New Mexico at Oklahoma, Augie-Moorhead, USF-Mary, and the Vikings visiting the Bears.
 
So grab a hard-boiled egg, dip it in a savory vinegar-based brine, break that puppy in half, dab a little hot sauce on it, throw it down the hatch and wash it down with a refreshing cold blue-collar brew.
 
That's what we call living the High Life!

Rest assured, we will know a little bit more about the 2026 Jackrabbits and Coyotes by early Sunday morning.
 
Both Top 10 FCS squads face excellent opponents on Saturday, when No. 9 Youngstown State visits No. 2 South Dakota State, while No. 10 USD plays at FBS G6 giant Boise State.
 
In his weekly "Nobody's Listening Anyway" podcast on Happy Hour, Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer shines the spotlight on YSU quarterback Beau Brungard, who has pumped out a zillion highlights in a spectacular career but could sure use a signature win. A victory in Brookings would do the trick.
 
Zim also regales with the story behind his SDSU "headset and huddle" column after the Jacks' win over New Haven on Saturday.
 
Meanwhile, Boise State's head coach insisted this week his team is not taking its FCS opponent lightly. Zim wonders if Spencer Danielson really means it, or really knows what he is in store for.
 
Similar rhetoric has come out of Nebraska for No. 6 North Dakota. Why does Zim think the Huskers will be more ready the Hawks than the Broncos will be for the Coyotes?
 
Plus, a drive-by check-in on former Jackrabbit coaches Jimmy Rogers (Iowa State) and Jason Eck (New Mexico).
 
To land the plane, a little baseball. Sure, Jabari Henry has the hearts of Canaries fans, but his veteran partner-in-crime was the Hartbeat of the Birds in their playoff series against Kansas City while Henry could only watch with an Achilles injury that knocked him out for the season... and likely his career. How should both be remembered if they retire? 
 
Plus, what does Zim make of the Canaries' follow-up act to their darn-near title from last fall, an act that ended with an admirable charge that fell short in the do-or-die Game 3 with the Monarchs?

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?