由John Gaskins

由John Gaskins

由John Gaskins

由John Gaskins

由John Gaskins

由John Gaskins

由John Gaskins

由John Gaskins

Sure, it is easy for folks who live in Sioux Falls to think Saturday's Key to the City Game between Augustana and the University of Sioux Falls is a rather special rivalry, and we spent plenty of time pinpointing why on Wednesday's Happy Hour Key to the City Show with the coaches from both squads. But where does the central Sioux Falls backyard bat…

Happy Hour host John Gaskins and Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer pick apart and predict the city showdown on another "Thirsty Thursday Football Forecast" from the Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls. The program starts with previews and predictions for No. 2 South Dakota State's FCS Top 25 trek to Youngstown State (are the Penguins primed …

Sure, it is easy for folks who live in Sioux Falls to think the Key to the City Game between Augustana and the University of Sioux Falls is a rather special rivalry. But where does it actually rank in the pantheon of all Division II football rivalries in the nation? Few people would be able to answer that question, but we found one of them right he…

There are classic college football rivalries and then, there is Augustana versus the University of Sioux Falls in Saturday's annual "Key to the City Game." Sure, there are longer, more hate-filled rivalries all across America at all levels. The most famous ones feature a power struggle in proximity — a border battle like the SDSU-NDSU "Dakota Marke…

What does this latest chapter in the Key to the City Game between backyard rivals Augustana and USF have in store? Third-year USF coach Jim Glogowski holds nothing back as he explains how much the rivalry means to him, his program, and school. "Coach Glo" also goes behind the back-to-back hammerings his Cougars took from top 15 teams Minnesota-Dulu…

What does this chapter in the Key to the City Game have in store? Augustana coach's Jerry Olszewski puts his finger on how the Vikings have started 5-0 despite a couple closer calls than they expected or wanted. Both the Vikings and USF have suffered significant injuries. Will we even get the appetizing quarterback duel between USF dual threat Camd…

There are classic college football rivalries and then, there is Augustana versus the University of Sioux Falls in Saturday's annual "Key to the City Game." Sure, there are longer, more hate-filled rivalries all across America at all levels. The most famous ones feature a power struggle in proximity — a border battle like the SDSU-NDSU "Dakota Marke…

A close loss or even, say, 14-point loss at No. 1 North Dakota State would not be a satisfactory result for those in South Dakota's football program, but it wouldn't be as nearly painful or jarring as what transpired in Fargo on Saturday. Yes, 51-13 hurt. Every part of it, particularly the 34-3 halftime score and how it got there. Yes, it shocked f…

You get hired to get fired. That has become the new old adage in modern day, big business college and pro sports for coaches and managers. After seven seasons, three playoff appearances, and the first playoff series win in over 20 years, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli became the latest casualty of this concept. Was it warranted? Is he the "fall guy?"…

You don't know. You may think you know. But you don't know. That wasn't just a famous line from former Saints and Colts coach Jim Mora, Sr., over 30 years ago. It serves as the motto of Happy Hour with John Gaskins. It's is what the nature of football in 2025 — the ever-changing NFL and the transient college football landscape — continues to prove.…

You don't know. You may think you know. But you don't know. That wasn't just a famous line from former Saints and Colts coach Jim Mora, Sr., over 30 years ago. It serves as the motto of Happy Hour with John Gaskins. It's is what the nature of football in 2025 — the ever-changing NFL and the transient college football landscape — continues to prove.…

Kalen DeBoer survived and advanced. The South Dakota native and former University of Sioux Falls national championship player and coach took some heat off of himself in Alabama's wire-to-wire 24-21 win at Georgia on Saturday. What appears to be different about the Crimson Tide from both the week 1 loss at Florida State and last season's four losses…

After a 3-0 start but with plenty of things to sharpen during last week's bye week, South Dakota State checked a lot of boxes and rolled through its check list on Saturday in the 51-7 win over Mercyhurst: 3rd down conversions — The Jackrabbits were 26% coming in but 69% against the Lakers (9 of 13) Red Zone conversions — SDSU was 8 for 8, although …

On Saturday, SDSU's all-time leading receiver Jake Wieneke will be inducted into the SDSU Athletics Hall of Fame. We caught up with Wieneke on July 15 to look back at his illustrious career, how he came to SDSU, his NFL attempt, and his life now: At first, a small town the size of Brookings is not what a Minnesota "Mr. Football" finalist from just …

Are we there yet? The first Missouri Valley Football Conference actual conference game is on Saturday, and it also happens to be one of the Top 5 "must see" matchups most FCS experts pegged before the season started. So, after a month of non-conference bludgeonings for No. 1 North Dakota State (by a combined 138-17) and slipping, sliding, and recov…

Are we there yet? The first Missouri Valley Football Conference actual conference game is on Saturday, and it also happens to be one of the Top 5 "must see" matchups most FCS experts pegged before the season started. So, after a month of non-conference bludgeonings for No. 1 North Dakota State (by a combined 138-17) and slipping, sliding, and recov…

Are we there yet? The first Missouri Valley Football Conference actual conference game is on Saturday, and it also happens to be one of the Top 5 "must see" matchups most FCS experts pegged before the season started. So, after a month of non-conference bludgeonings for No. 1 North Dakota State (by a combined 138-17) and slipping, sliding, and recov…

Let's just get down to business. No pussyfooting around. Happy Hour's weekly chat with South Dakota football coach Travis Johansen spends one opening question on the impressive 42-21 win over Drake — the Coyotes' second half defense after giving up just 87 total yards before halftime is a sore spot — and then barrels right into Saturday's showdown …

Mark Gronowski could not have had a worse take-off as Iowa's quarterback. He stumbled and sputtered on the runaway when he was expected to soar immediately against FCS also-ran Albany, and that should be the expectation when you're Iowa's "Two Million Dollar Man." Then, after a 16-13 loss at Iowa when he didn't exactly fly smoothly through turbulan…

Iowa's all-time passing leader Chuck Long picks apart Gronowski's first four games in Iowa City. Long threw for over 10,000 yards for the Hawkeyes, culminating in a senior season where he guided the 1985 Hawkeyes to a win-for-the-ages over No. 1 Michigan en route to Hayden Fry's second Rose Bowl. After finishing second to Bo Jackson in Heisman Trop…

Let's just get down to business. No pussyfooting around. Happy Hour's weekly chat with South Dakota football coach Travis Johansen spends one opening question on the impressive 42-21 win over Drake — the Coyotes' second half defense after giving up just 87 total yards before halftime is a sore spot — and then barrels right into Saturday's showdown …

Missouri Valley Conference football play starts with a bang. We think. No. 17 South Dakota's visit to No. 1 North Dakota State was a definite Top 5 "circle this on the calendar" in the offseason, considering the Coyotes' "we have arrived" comeback win over in last season's finale to share the MVFC title with the Bison and South Dakota State. Plus, …

Has Carson Wentz wedged himself into any quarterback controversy in Minnesota after the Vikings throttled the Bengals? Are the South Dakota Coyotes in any shape to even threaten steamrolling No. 1 North Dakota State after a sharp, convincing 42-21 win over the same Drake team that gave South Dakota State fits? How did SDSU coach Dan Jackson spend a…

It was a roller coaster of emotions for the Sioux Falls Canaries and their thunderous throng of Birdcage faithful over three nights of league championship baseball in Sioux Falls. The Birds undoubtedly won over Sioux Falls sports fans with three rock 'em, sock 'em games and being so close to their first title in 17 years, they could taste it. Then,…

Has Carson Wentz wedged himself into any quarterback controversy in Minnesota after the Vikings throttled the Bengals? Are the South Dakota Coyotes in any shape to even threaten steamrolling No. 1 North Dakota State after a sharp, convincing 42-21 win over the same Drake team that gave South Dakota State fits? How did SDSU coach Dan Jackson spend a…

Lifelong fan Carson Wentz starting for the Vikings and throwing a couple touchdown passes in 48-10 win in Minneapolis was an awesome story on Sunday. But what do we actually make of Wentz as an NFL quarterback after that performance, and if he is regular starting material? Should Kevin O'Connell bring back J.J. McCarthy when the franchise QB is rea…

So, how does a college football head coach spend his Saturday on a bye week? The answer is likely as different as the personalities of hundreds of coaches all over the country, but you'll get the flavor of a Dan Jackson Saturday in our weekly chat with South Dakota State's head coach. Among the topics: Favorite podcasts Which CFB games he watched o…

Where did that come from? L.J. Phillips burst seemingly out of nowhere to rumble for 301 yards in South Dakota's absolutely-had-to-have-this overtime win over Northern Colorado on Saturday. The backup running back to All-American Charles Pierre, Jr., to start the 2025 campaign came within seven yards of breaking Amos Allen's 18-year-old school reco…

It's time to talk Augustana and Nebraska football with an Augie parent and Husker legend, "Dr. Rob" Zatechka, an Omaha anesthesiologist who blocked for Big Red legends Tommie Frazier and Lawrence Phillips on NU's 1994 national championship team and hosts the wildly popular "Husker Doc Talk" podcast. Zatechka marvels at both the talent and culture a…

Will Drake give the Coyotes the same fits the Bulldogs gave the Jackrabbits last week? Are Augustana and USF Vikings on a collision course for a "battle of undefeateds" in the Key to the City Game in two weeks? And can the Jefferson Cavaliers — now head coached by the man who called plays for Lincoln's back-to-back state championship juggernaut off…

Where did that come from? L.J. Phillips burst seemingly out of nowhere to rumble for 301 yards in South Dakota's absolutely-had-to-have-this overtime win over Northern Colorado on Saturday. The backup running back to All-American Charles Pierre, Jr., to start the 2025 campaign came within seven yards of breaking Amos Allen's 18-year-old school reco…

He doesn't want to think about it. But how can he not? Over the next two games at The Birdcage on Thursday and Friday (maybe Saturday), the Canaries all-time GOAT and American Association's career home run king Jabari Henry has a chance to deliver Sioux Falls its first American Association league championship in 17 years, and second ever in the mos…

Do the South Dakota Coyotes look like the national championship contender they plainly stated they wanted to be — and many FCS experts thought they would be — before this 2025 season started? Nope. Far from it, as anyone who has watched their offensively-challenged 1-2 start can plainly see. Why? Head coach Travis Johansen joined Happy Hour host Jo…

So far in this young football season, the Jackrabbits, Coyotes, and Vikings offenses — to varying degrees — continue to struggle to explode for big plays and satisfying full-game performances. At times, they implode. In the Yotes and Vikings cases, for full games. Gee, if only there was a local team to watch right now, in-person!, that has provided…

Dan Jackson loves a good fight, and even more so loves one particular all-time world boxing champion. The first-year South Dakota State football coach made it home from Saturday's underwhelming 37-21 win over Drake on Saturday night to watch fellow Omaha native Terrance "Bud" Crawford capture another world title via 12-round decision. Before the Ja…

Wait, what? Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is ruled out (sprained ankle) for Minnesota's game on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Head coach Kevin O'Connell cited an ankle sprain. Can we take this injury at face value or is it a "soft benching" as Minnesota picks up the pieces from a brutal loss to Atlanta and faces a Bengals squ…

Every Monday during the football season, Happy Hour host John Gaskins will be joined for a breakdown of local football at all levels with veteran local college and prep TV analyst Kurtiss Riggs — the well-connected director of the Sanford Academy's football program and 11-time professional indoor championship coach of the Sioux Falls Storm. This we…

Dan Jackson loves a good fight, and even more so loves one particular all-time world boxing champion. The first-year South Dakota State football coach made it home from Saturday's underwhelming 37-21 win over Drake on Saturday night to watch fellow Omaha native Terrance "Bud" Crawford capture another world title via 12-round decision. Before the Ja…

It's good to be South Dakota State football legend John Stiegelmeier these days, now in his third football season as a retiree. And it's a treat to spend an hour with him to catch up. The football program he toiled for 35 years and eventually turned into an FCS national champion celebrated a monster road win at Montana State on Saturday, and he is …

What didn't look like a big game on the schedule before the season kicked off is all of a sudden a massive game for the South Dakota Coyotes. Now 0-2 after an ugly road loss at unranked Lamar in which USD mustered just three second half points, the Coyotes finally get a home game in the comfy confines of the Dakota Dome against an unranked FCS team…

It's good to be South Dakota State football legend John Stiegelmeier these days, now in his third football season as a retiree. And it's a treat to spend an hour with him to catch up. The football program he toiled for 35 years to eventually turned into an FCS national champion celebrated a monster road win at Montana State on Saturday, and is he e…

Poor Mark Gronowski. South Dakota State's two-time national championship, Walter Payton Award quarterback is getting dragged through the mud by Iowa fans and national pundits alike. The "Two Million Dollar Man" has thrown for the fewest passing yards (127) by a Big Ten quarterback through his first two games. Ever. By 50 yards. He pilots a Hawkeye …