Happy Hour with John Gaskins

The Friday Forecast with Trent Singer
 
The host and Trent take a final look at the storylines and matchups, discussing what to expect when the game kicks off, complete with statistics and predictions.

 
What are the most intriguing and significant things to anticipate and watch? Where are the matchup advantages for each team? What will be the single most important factor in determining the outcome? 
 
And who... will... win?
 
 
Sam Herder, FCS analyst
 
A 13-year veteran of FCS coverage and an FCS top 25 voter, Herder has in-depth and acute knowledge of both teams and exactly what is on the line.
 
How high can the winner of Saturday's game climb in the FCS playoff seeding? How far might the loser fall?
 
How do the SDSU and USD resumes stack up against teams currently above them: Montana State, Tarleton State, Youngstown State, and Stephen F. Austin?
 
And, of course, we ask Herder who will win and why.

Sam Herder (FCS analyst) on what's on the line and what to expect from "State vs U"

What are the most anticipated things to see on Saturday when the Jacks and Yotes lock horns? What should we expect to happen? Trent Singer and the Happy Hour host dive in.

NLA: Zim on "State vs U" rivalry, elite teams, fan fights, Little Brown jug

Nielson, an Iowa native who led five programs to the playoffs and four to at least one conference title in his 33 years of head coaching at six different schools, gave his perspective on his relationship — we dare say friendship — with John Stiegelmeier and plenty of thoughts and memories from USD's rivalry with SDSU.
 
What did Nielson see from his own perspective when he arrived at USD following five other successful coaching stints in Div. III, Div. II, and most recently at FCS Western Illinois?
 
The Coyotes had not experienced a winning season since 2011 and had lost all four of its games against SDSU in the FCS era (2012-15 after USD joined that level and the Missouri Valley Football Conference). 
 
How did Nielson immediately narrow that gap with SDSU — who by then had established itself as a Top 10 program — with a 31-28 nail-biting loss in the Dome in 2017, then his first victory in the series in 2019, at home?
 
Eternally understated and even-keeled, Nielson's eyes widen and voice raises when asked about the 2017 loss, or as he puts it, "we got robbed."
 
Of course, Nielson tells the 2021 Vermiracle from his memory, including his own decision that almost backfired in a loss.
 
Stiegelmeier won the final meeting between the two in 2022. With Happy Hour, he joked he retired partly because he didn't want to coach against the Coyotes in the Dome again in 2023. The Jacks won that Top 5 tilt easily, then beat Nielson's Yotes in overtime in 2024 before Nielson stepped down.
 
So, did Nielson chat with Stiegelmeier about processing life after retirement? 
 
Find out in an hour full of "State vs. U" revelry that reveals more goodwill than ill-will.