Happy Hour with John Gaskins

An "instant classic," it was not.
 
And yet, Saturday's "State vs. U" showdown — an odd combo of a Jackrabbit jackhammering plus wiley Coyote comeback that finished in a pivotal 31-21 SDSU win — provided plenty of memories both in Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium and around it.
 
Depending on who you are, those memories will burn bright or even be harnessed for a future date.
 
USD's players and coaches will likely remember the videos or still photos of the dead coyotes SDSU players draped over their shoulders in the postgame press conference and the pelt coach Dan Jackson hoisted during the locker room celebration.

The Coyotes will likely use those images for fuel whenever the rivals meet next, which may be in December in the FCS playoffs. How risky of behavior was this from SDSU? How different should we expect that showdown to be, even if it takes place in the same stadium?
 
Jackson hopes his players remember the playoff-like urgency they used to manhandle USD for the first three quarters, because he thinks they'll need it for every remaining two regular season game starting on Saturday at Northern Iowa. The Panthers have already upset two ranked opponents this year (both Illinois State and North Dakota were slotted in the FCS Top 5 for those games).
 
Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer will never forget the unprecedented "big game" pregame coverage his operation provided, broadcasting live on KSFL-TV and the Midwest Sports Plus app, plus the online "tailgate" show Sioux Falls Live broadcast with the gang at Jackrabbits Illustrated.
 
Zimmer recounts the memorable day — particularly the scene and interactions with fans in the tailgate lots — on his weekly "Nobody's Listening Anyway" podcast with the Happy Hour host, who was tailgating in a different way about 300 miles away in Lincoln, Nebraska.
 
The Happy Hour host, a Nebraska native and lifelong Husker fan and NU alumnus, describes an unforgettable family reunion with his father and uncle, even though Nebraska put forth a primetime performance fans want to erase from memory.
 
Then, after looking back, the hosts look ahead to what is next for both the Jacks and Y
otes — their remaining two regular season games and how their body of work so far translates to postseason performance.
 
Plus, a glance at the SDSU women's buzzer-beating loss to Creighton to open the regular season, the Minnesota Vikings' un-incredible shrinking quarterback Kyler Murray and who the team should trade for to replace him, and other sports matters as the World Series, heart of football season, and tip-off to the hoops slate collide.

For three quarters on Saturday, No. 5 South Dakota State resoundingly answered a lot of questions observers were asking ahead of the Jackrabbits' showdown with No. 6 South Dakota.
 
But after SDSU amassed a manhandling 28-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Coyotes mounted a comeback that fell too-close-for-comfort short for Jacks fans, leaving more questions hanging. 
 
Questions like:
 
What coaching mistake did SDSU make that allowed USD back into the game?
 
Why did this game reflect Chase Mason's best strengths as a quarterback, and what plays should be called for him to help the Jacks win while also positioning Mason for an NFL roster spot?
 
How thoroughly did the Jackrabbits dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides?
 
How much did USD's lack of a bye week through the first 10 games and weeks of the season catch up with the Yotes, especially coming off a physically and emotionally taxing overtime win over North Dakota the week before? 
 
How equipped is SDSU to win the national title? How equipped is USD to make a deep playoff run by winning multiple games on the road?
 
If only Happy Hour could wrangle a guest who is SDSU's veteran analyst on TV games, helped Kalen DeBoer coordinate offense for USF teams that went 67-3 and won three national titles in five seasons, set multiple passing records while throwing to DeBoer and winning the 1996 national title at USF as a quarterback, coordinated offense for two state championship teams at Roosevelt High, and led the Sioux Falls Storm to 11 league championships and 16 league championship games in 20 years as head coach and offensive coordinator, and is the football director at Sanford Sports Academy, where he personally coaches elite quarterbacks from all over the state's and oversees events involving many of the region's best high school football players?
 
Oh, wait, Happy Hour does have a weekly guest like like: Kurtiss Riggs.
 
Enjoy another one-hour football potpourri from Shenanigan's sports bar that also features topics like:
 
* Former SDSU All-America lineman Mason McCormick's boss move on a trash-talking Cleveland Brown in a Pittsburgh Steelers route
 
* Yet more epic collapses from Nebraska and the Dallas Cowboys, mainly involving bumbling play-calling
 
* Which veteran NFL quarterback should the Minnesota Vikings seek to make a trade to land and spike their chances of reaching the Super Bowl?
 
* What should we expect out of DeBoer's Alabama squad at LSU after a bye week?
 
* Which P4 coach embarrassed himself after a mammouth win?
 
* What can we expect out of the 11AAA state semifinals on Friday night?
 
Riggs and the Happy Hour host will broadcast both games starting at 5 p.m. on KSFL-TV (Ch. 36 / Midco Ch. 616) and the Midwest Sports Plus app:


#4 Harrisburg at #1 Sioux Falls Jefferson, 5 p.m.
 
#3 Brandon Valley at #2 Sioux Falls Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.

Neither coach was satisfied after FCS No. 5 South Dakota State's 31-21 win over No. 6 South Dakota on Saturday. 
 
Dan Jackson regretted that his Jackrabbits didn't "bury" the Coyotes after storming to a 21-0 halftime lead and 28-0 advantage through three quarters.
 
Matt Vitzthum was incensed of how his Coyotes allowed an SDSU's early playmaking overwhelm them into an avalanche they couldn't completely escape, even with a gangbusters fourth quarter comeback.
 
Both coaches have since watched the film of their teams' performances and had plenty more to say in their weekly Monday conversations with the Happy Hour host.
 
In the words of Vitzthum, "So what, Now what?"

Before the chats, the host answers that question for both teams. With the regular season winding down, what kind of chances do both squads have to go deep in the FCS playoffs and contend for a national title, based on what we saw Saturday and their 2026 resumes to date?

Matt Vitzthum on "pissed off" USD following SDSU loss, Modrzewski maturity, bye week, and more

The Happy Hour host says Saturday's result makes sense, even though the way it go there was suprising to most. Why? And what did the performances say about either teams' chances of making a run at a national title?