Nobody's Listening Anyway

NOTICE: This weekly show is now part of the "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" daily podcast, which you can find at SiouxFallsLive.com, MidwestSportsPlus.com, and most podcast platforms like the one you find here! So, if you enjoy the topics Matt & John cover, you'll get those topics, plus relevant local guests, every Monday through Thursday on Happy Hour... so we highly recommend you check that out!

What could possibly be better than shooting the bull over beers for an hour about the state of both Jackrabbit and Coyote football and the big "State vs U" Top 25 high stakes showdown on Saturday in the DakotaDome? 

How about shooting the bull while guzzling cans of the official in-state brewed beers of both universities?  The hosts of the weekly "Nobody's Listening Anyway" sure enjoyed the procedure.

Happy Hour host John Gaskins and Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer cracked open the "Ears Up" SDSU beer from Sioux Falls' Ferson Brewing and the "Coyote Legacy" blonde ale from Vermillion's XIX Brewing.  It made for sublime liquid encouragement to bring out fluid and unfiltered observations of the Jacks' wretched 24-12 loss to lowly Indiana State and the Yotes' impressive, momentum-swinging, narrative-changing 26-21 mild upset of then-No. 8 North Dakota. 

As mentioned in Monday's show, all of a sudden this matchup between No. 8 SDSU and No. 22 USD seems different and a lot spicier given the changed and opposite recent trajectories of the teams.  Zim, the Jacks beat writer, pulls no punches in his analysis of how ugly and inexcusable SDSU's loss was.

Meanwhile, can we definitively say the Yotes have figured out their winning formula?  Can USD beat the Jacks simply by running well, completing just a couple big downfield passes, and scoring with both defense and special teams? How can SDSU solve its offensive problems against a thriving defense that shut down one of the nation's best FCS offenses and quarterbacks?  

Will Chase Mason play? If he does, will that make the difference between winning and losing? Who is the favorite? What percentage of the DakotaDome will be in blue? How far might this game go in determining these two teams' playoff fates? 

Oh, and which school has the better beer? Belly up with your own brew and take a listen. Along the way, you'll also hear about Augustana and USF's heaters with backup freshmen quarterbacks. Plus, a crystal ball look at the high school football state semifinals in Class 11AAA — Jefferson vs. Lincoln and Harrisburg vs. Brandon Valley. You can watch both games on TV or any device with the Midwest Sports+ app. 

Cheers!

NOTICE: This weekly show is now part of the "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" daily podcast, which you can find at SiouxFallsLive.com, MidwestSportsPlus.com, and most podcast platforms like the one you find here! So, if you enjoy the topics Matt & John cover, you'll get those topics, plus relevant local guests, every Monday through Thursday on Happy Hour... so we highly recommend you check that out!

You can see it in the changing color of the leaves, and then how quickly they are falling off the trees.  You can feel it in the chill of the air in the mornings, evenings, and sometimes all day. As November — which for those of us up here in the north means early winter — nears, the weather and ever-shedding trees represent the cold, harsh reality of winter drawing near, and the cold, harsh reality of some football teams' goals slipping away. South Dakota State no longer looks like a national title contender, at least in the health they are in. North Dakota State exposed that.  South Dakota not only no longer looks like a national title contender they were projected to be by most FCS experts in the preseason, the Coyotes look less and less like even an FCS playoffs team. Their failure to score more than 20 points in all but three of nine games exposed that. But that's how things look now. Both the Jackrabbits and Coytes have November to change those narratives — four regulasr seaosn games each to flip the script. The margin of error is slimmer for both. The depth of both teams is thinning, too (as injuries tend to smother all teams at all levels by this time of year). On a cold day requiring flannel for John Gaskins and a hooded sweatshirt for Matt Zimmer, the two "Nobody's Listening Anyway" hosts require just a tiny extra dose of alcoholic nourishment to adjust to the temperatures and impending winter, not to mention to digest and unpack both what the SDSU and USD seasons have become and still could be. The cold, harsh reality of the Jacks is the kind of players that led them to national titles in 2022 and '23 — Mark Gronowski, Tucker Kraft, Isaiah Davis, Pierre Strong, the Janke twins, and a host of pro-level 605 Hogs and defenders — are not walking through that door, and the injuries of Chase Mason, Lofton O'Groske and Chase Van Tol made winning an MVFC of national title even harder.
But, does that mean the Jacks' chances of accomplishing something special with a brand new coaching staff and mostly-turned-over roster are toast?  The cold, harsh reality of the Yotes is they struggle to score points, which makes it hard to win games against teams that aren't the worst in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Presumably, USD must beat three consecutive top-tier league teams to reach the playoffs. But does that mean we can stick a fork in the chances of a third consecutive postseason berth in Vermillion? Fire up the Budweiser and add a shot of Rumple Minze. There's a lot of brutal reality football to talk about, and that includes the latest bumpy ride Kalen DeBoer's Alabama took in the SEC, the make-you-hurl Brian Kelly experience at LSU that is mercifully over, and the broader conversation of all these major college teams sending their head coaches packing — with suitcases full of dozens of millions of dollars in buyout money — before the leaves start falling. Zim and John cover all that, plus the surest sign that autumn is ending: The World Series, state football playoffs, and Halloween. Is Shohei Ohtani already the greatest baseball player of all time? Are Brandon Valley and Lincoln on a collision course for back-to-back meetings in the Dakota Dome in Mid-November?  Should an almost 50-year-old man still be dressing up for Halloween? You'll hear the answers, but spoiler alert — like the local college football discussions, it's complicated.

NOTICE: This weekly show is now part of the "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" daily podcast, which you can find at SiouxFallsLive.com, MidwestSportsPlus.com, and most podcast platforms like the one you find here! So, if you enjoy the topics Matt & John cover, you'll get those topics, plus relevant local guests, every Monday through Thursday on Happy Hour... so we highly recommend you check that out!

NOTICE: This weekly show is now part of the "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" daily podcast, which you can find at SiouxFallsLive.com, MidwestSportsPlus.com, and most podcast platforms like the one you find here! So, if you enjoy the topics Matt & John cover, you'll get those topics, plus relevant local guests, every Monday through Thursday on Happy Hour... so we highly recommend you check that out!

Forgive us for not taking it "one game at a time" like coaches always preach.

Even in today's modern college football world of just about anything unimaginable happening — Indiana vaulting to a No. 3 ranking two years after being dog meat, Jimmy Rogers and his 33-point underdog "Washington State Jackrabbits" almost beating No. 4 Ole Miss — many football fans in the Dakotas are already looking ahead to next week.

While No. 1 North Dakota State and No. 2 South Dakota State hunker down for road games at perennial MVFC doormats Indiana State and Murray State on Saturday, "Nobody's Listening Anyway" hosts John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer dare compare the FCS big dogs' resumes and opine on how ready the seemingly vunerable Jacks are for the seemingly teflon Bison.

Specifically, is the "bust" part of the boom-or-bust SDSU offense concerning if not alarming? Will the return of top wideout Lofton O'Groske erase those concerns?

At the top of many fans' minds is the potential return of ESPN's College Gameday to Brookings for the Dakota Marker Game? Is the breathless lunging at the Mother Ship on social media worth it? Well, yeah, considering the vivid and fun memories that Zim shares of the crew's broadcast the morning of this matchup in 2019.  

This leads into a discussion about the merits and misery of watching Pat McAfee, or of being co-host A.J. Hawk on McAfee's daily show.

After that sidetrack, a discussion about the emergence of freshman quarterbacks at both Augustana and USF — Rich Lucero, Jr., and Tate Schafer. Then, about USD and its ugly but effective 19-14 win at Indiana State and if the Coyotes' clear establishment of their identity is serving them well enough to for monster final month of showdowns against Top 25 Valley teams.

Finally, what does Zim make of the Matt Rhule era at Nebraska now that the end may be near, with speculation he's a top candidate for the Penn State opening and the former PSU linebacker expressing unabashed love for both institutions upon being asked about the position on Monday.

NOTICE: This weekly show is now part of the "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" daily podcast, which you can find at SiouxFallsLive.com, MidwestSportsPlus.com, and most podcast platforms like the one you find here! So, if you enjoy the topics Matt & John cover, you'll get those topics, plus relevant local guests, every Monday through Thursday on Happy Hour... so we highly recommend you check that out!

Hobo Day hiccup in 2025?

Hardly a chance, or so it appears, with No. 2 South Dakota State barging through the second half in Youngstown to improve to 5-0 while 2-3 Northern Iowa stumbled through more growing pains under a new coaching staff in a 35-7 loss to North Dakota.

But whenever UNI is listed on SDSU's football schedule as the homecoming opponent, some Jackrabbit fans — especially alumni from 2015 and 2017 — might wince in trauma from past Panther upsets.

But is UNI worth any worry this Saturday? Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer has covered the Jacks for a decade and has his thoughts in the latest weekly edition of Happy Hour's "Nobody's Listening Anyway" with John Gaskins.

SDSU coach Dan Jackson, in his weekly Happy Hour chat on Monday, conveyed a clear message about what he wants out of Jacks fans on Saturday — strong attempts at the biggest and loudest crowd in Dykhouse Stadium history — and this leads to a discussion about Jackson as the football program's "ambassador" and how natural that unofficial role is for him.

Jackson credited his "great program" and "great culture" for the come-from-behind win at then-No. 24 YSU. But was it a great win? Zim and John break down what went wrong in the first half and why SDSU dominated the second half, assess the latest performance from quarterback Chase Mason, and the emerging strength of running back Julius Loughridge and the "605 Hogs" up front.

From there, what is there to make of South Dakota's 49-24 win over Murray State, which has lost all of its nine Missouri Valley Conference games since joining the league last season? For at least a game, Travis Johansen was right when he told John last week that his program has too strong of a culture to let the season go off the rails. (Here is Johansen's follow-up chat from Tuesday, with plenty of insight about his defense, penalties, playing violent, and an update on retired predecessor Bob Nielson).

The Coyotes have gone "back to the pack" of the rest of the MVFC challengers to NDSU and SDSU's supremacy, but where does USD, UND, Illinois State, Southern Illinois, and Youngstown State appear to be in the current picture?

Then, a recap of the latest, incredible chapter in the "Key to the City" series between backyard rivals Augustana and the University of Sioux Falls in which the Vikings came back from a 28-10 fourth quarter deficit to win 29-28 at USF.

While Carson Wentz played "fine" in guiding the Minnesota Vikings to their own fourth quarterback in London in another "boring, nondescript" overseas game, what fascinated Zim more than anything on Sunday morning was Will Reichard's fourth quarter field goal kick that was veered off line by striking a seemingly invisible camera — and how nobody seemed to know what the hell happened for a while.

The episode ends with the battle between two native South Dakota head coaches in the WNBA Finals, Nate Tibbetts and Becky Hammon. As John mentioned to start Tuesday's show and Zim wrote in a Wednesday column, this source of Rushmore State pride has been decades in the making, a product of a state that has valued and supported girls and women's basketball since well before other states finally found it fashionable. 

NOTICE: This weekly show is now part of the "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" daily podcast, which you can find at SiouxFallsLive.com, MidwestSportsPlus.com, and most podcast platforms like the one you find here! So, if you enjoy the topics Matt & John cover, you'll get those topics, plus relevant local guests, every Monday through Thursday on Happy Hour... so we highly recommend you check that out!

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?"

Is it best the Twins move on even if Rocco is quite clearly not the primary reason for the sad state of affairs at Target Field? Beyond asinine ownership, what else besides Baldelli can we blame for the sinking ship the Twins became the last couple years?

Speaking of sinking ships, has a bruised and battered Minnesota Vikings offensive line given enough reason to already believe this could be a lost season, or can a quarterback — either J.J. McCarty or Carson Wentz — and an all-of-a-sudden leaky defense keep NFC North title and even Super Bowl hopes afloat? 

In a monster week of football for the city of Sioux Falls and South Dakota's two Div. I teams, Happy Hour host John Gaskins and Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer lead off with these pressing Minnesota matters.

Then, it is time to pick apart the South Dakota Coyotes' latest ugly loss in a revealing "measuring stick game" at No. 1 North Dakota State. Just like Monday's episode with Kurtiss Riggs, John and Matt try best to answer this question now that the 2025 season is about one-third in the books:

With both the Jackrabbits and Coyotes losing head coaches, assistants & a bunch of their best players from top 5 teams in 2024, how and why have the Jacks remained national championship contenders (so it appears) while the Yotes have fallen off the radar (and out of the Top 25 rankings)?

Meanwhile, Augustana will take its No. 8 ranking and 5-0 record across Sioux Falls to Bob Young Field on Saturday against now-unranked University of Sioux Falls (3-2) in the Key to the City Game. While the Vikings have the better record and momentum — the Cougars have lost back-to-back games in convincing fashion to Top 15-rated Duluth and Mankato — why does Zim feel the Coo have the advantage, and not just because USF has home field advantage?

Finally, a preview of the most-anticipated game in South Dakota 11AAA high school football so far — No. 1 Lincoln at No. 2 Brandon Valley on Friday, a game you'll be able to watch on the Midwest Sports Plus app or at MidwestSportsPlus.com, where you can also download the app and start your 30-day free trial.

NOTICE: This weekly show is now part of the "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" daily podcast, which you can find at SiouxFallsLive.com, MidwestSportsPlus.com, and most podcast platforms like the one you find here! So, if you enjoy the topics Matt & John cover, you'll get those topics, plus relevant local guests, every Monday through Thursday on Happy Hour... so we highly recommend you check that out!

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, perhaps you remember, USD beat NDSU the last time the teams played in Fargo. Yeah, you probably remember. The Bison sure do, and they've had an extra week to prepare for revenge (perhaps you heard).

But considering USD's slippery 1-2 start before a resounding win over Drake on Saturday, how loud of a bang is this 2025 MVFC opener?

Happy Hour host John Gaskins and Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer describe their interest and intrigue in the game, and how competitive we should expect the Coyotes to be. Is the Aidan Bouman that at times torched the Bison back after a slow 2025 start?

Can we really be impressed, or the Yotes intimidated, by NDSU's 139-17 obliteration of their three opponents and their combined 3-8 record — The Citadel (1-3), Tennessee State (1-2), and Southeast Missouri State (1-3)?

The attention then turns to a "what to look for" discussion on No. 2 SDSU against Mercyhurst after its bye week. Plus, of course, a scratching of the mosquito bite that is "how do we compare SDSU and USD after they each hosted Drake in back-to-back games?"

What does Carson Wentz have to do to threaten J.J. McCarthy's starting job with the Vikings once McCarthy is healthy enough to play? Or should it be McCarthy's job no matter what? 

And, did you catch the NFL Today's 50th anniversary show featuring orgininal host Brent Musberger? One of our two hosts did and gave his review. This leads us down the rabbit hole of the NFL's most famous broadcasters of the last 50 years and how fair of evaluation they get from viewers (we're talking about you Joe Buck, one of the most hated men in Minnesota). 

Finally, some baseball. Zim thinks the Canaries "choked" away their first American Association championship in 17 years. Is that fair? The two dig in, plus look forward to a possible Birds follow-up run. How difficult will it be? Who should we expect back in Sioux Falls to try?

Finally... Zim thought "The Natural" sucked. 

NOTICE: This weekly show is now part of the "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" daily podcast, which you can find at SiouxFallsLive.com, MidwestSportsPlus.com, and most podcast platforms like the one you find here! So, if you enjoy the topics Matt & John cover, you'll get those topics, plus relevant local guests, every Monday through Thursday on Happy Hour... so we highly recommend you check that out!

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 fireworks all season long, including a so-far spectacular postseason. Oh, wait, there is, and you don't even have to drive one to four hours to see them.

The Sioux Falls Canaries — highest-scoring, most home run-hitting in their league by far — are three wins away from their first American Association championship in 17 years and only their second league title in the 33-year modern inception of the club. 

So far, they've averaged 10 runs in their five playoff wins, including victories of 7-2 and 11-2 in their two series-clinching win-or-go-home games, propelled by the Birds' best-ever player and league's all-time career home run king Jabari Henry's five total dingers in those two deciding games (three blasts to eliminate league leader Sioux City in the first round on the road, then a pair of homers including a grand slam and 8 RBI in The Birdcage to knock out Fargo-Moorhead). 

So, before Happy Hour host John Gaskins and Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer break down the bummer offenses — to varying degrees! — of this region's three most popular football teams, they celebrate the culmination of what has been a 15-year climb up a Mt. Everest of rocky obstacles for the Canaries — once the league's worst and near-lowest-budget squad — just to return to the league finals.

Then, it's pick-apart time for 3-0 SDSU, 1-2 USD, and the 1-1 Vikings, their offenses, and their quarterbacks Chase Mason, Aidan Bouman, and J.J. McCarthy. How much of the team's struggles have been the field generals' faults, and where do we see things headed?

Is it unfair for Jacks fans to be unsettled if not complaining about "only" 37 points and "only" a 16-point win over a non-scholarship team? Is it five-alarm fire time for USD after narrowly escaping Northern Colorado and an 0-3 start?

What do we make of both the seven quarters of bumbling of young J.J. McCarthy (save from the amazing fourth quarter in Chicago, which counts for a lot) and the ankle injury that has sidelined him against Cincinnati, which gives journeyman and NDSU legend Carson Wentz his latest and maybe last-ever shot to return to his once-Pro Bowl form?

John and Matt answer these questions, then toast the Sanford International and its latest winner Retief Goosen. Finally, rumination on why the once-massive Sunday crowds have fizzled a bit in the eight-year-old event that shares crown jewel status in Sioux Falls with the Summit League Tournament.

NOTICE: This weekly show is now part of the "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" daily podcast, which you can find at SiouxFallsLive.com, MidwestSportsPlus.com, and most podcast platforms like the one you find here! So, if you enjoy the topics Matt & John cover, you'll get those topics, plus relevant local guests, every Monday through Thursday on Happy Hour... so we highly recommend you check that out!

Winners win, because that's what winners do.

That has been the slogan for University of Sioux Falls football ever since Bob Young started the 30-year tradition of winning seasons — with only one exception — 30 years ago. It is a slogan Kalen DeBoer, then a USF star receiver, carried into his 67-3 head coaching stint after replacing Young in 2005 and then eventually as head coach at Fresno State, Washington, and Alabama (combined 57-14 record).

On Saturday night in Montana and Monday night at Soldier Field, "winners win" applied to both South Dakota State quarterback Chase Mason and Minnesota Vikings signal caller J.J. McCarthy, who won state titles as high school quarterbacks. (McCarthy was 27-1 as a starter at Michigan).

Both experiencing their first road games in hostile environments as their team's new starting QB, Mason and McCarthy overcame mostly-unproductive offense outputs in the first three quarters to account for three touchdowns each when it counted most — Mason with three TD strikes in the fourth quarter and overtimes and McCarthy firing two fourth quarter scoring darts, then running in the game-winning score in Chicago.

In their weekly klatch over cocktails at Gateway Lounge in Sioux Falls, Happy Hour host John Gaskins and Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer broke down the "it" factor that propelled these two quarterbacks to massive, clutch wins. Zimmer then dives into other aspects of an impressive 2-0 SDSU start — a stout defense, breakout wideout Lofton Groske, and Dan Jackson's leadership.

Meanwhile, it has been a miserable mess for former Jacks QB Mark Gronowski at Iowa. Why? Hear why Zim thinks it has more to do with the Hawkeyes than the "Million Dollar Man."

Things are no better for USD's Aidan Bouman, who surely missed three outstanding linemen and elite skill weapons no longer at his disposal as he struggled in losses at Iowa State and Lamar. Should we lower expectations for the Coyotes now?

And don't get Zim started on "Phillies Karen."

It was not a pretty first game for most of the Div. I football teams and players of interest in South Dakota. But it was a "just win, baby" week for some.

No. 3 South Dakota State stopped the "Go Go" offense of No. 15 Sacramento State all night, but the Jackrabbits didn't exactly make chest-thumping offensive waves themselves. How does that translate to a road game at perennial Top 5 powerhouse Montana State, who was pulverized 59-13 at FBS No. 7 Oregon?

FCS No. 4 South Dakota threw Iowa State for an early 7-7 loop before the Cyclones blew them away, 55-7. Does that mean doom and gloom for Aidan Bouman and a USD offense that mustered just 34 yards in the second half? Or is ISU perhaps a tornado that will rip through the Big 12 and leave an easy cleanup for the Yotes in FCS play?

Both Augustana and the Universtiy of Sioux Falls won nail biters, but in different ways. What are some easy assessments of their returning quarterbacks?

And then, there was Jimmy Rogers' Washington State Jackrabbits, who needed a perfectly-executed two-minute drill at home to survive FCS Idaho, with a new coach and offense replacing former SDSU offensive coordinator Jason Eck. What do we make of Jimmy's more-than-blunt postgame remarks?

There's also the all-time Jackrabbit Mark Gronowski's less-than-impressive Iowa debut and native son Kalen DeBoer's Alabama debacle at Florida State. How much should we curb our first week spasms? 

The Minnesota Vikings lift off on Monday night in Chicago. Why does typically pessimistic Matt Zimmer feel like he's boarding a rocket ship?

The answers to these questions and more, all over cocktails on an idle Tuesday afternoon at the Gateway Lounge in Sioux Falls as Zim and Happy Hour host John Gaskins wet their football whistles — finally!