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 John Gaskins for a deep dive into what is holding the Yotes back — particularly in the passing game — and what strides he is seeing to believe things will improve enough to perhaps still be in that national championship conversation by the end of the year.

How did running back L.J. Phillips burst for 301 yards — six yards shy of the USD single-game record set by Amos Allen's 307 in 2007 — in his first start after Charles Pierre's season-ending injury, a performance that earned Phillips the FCS Offensive Player of the Week honor?

How did Brock Woolf earn Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week, despite literally puking on the field during the game?

And, how does USD plan to combat a Drake offense that exploded early against South Dakota State with reserve quarterbacks? How can the Yotes offense attack a Bulldog defense that held the Jackrabbits to just two "explosive plays" in that 37-21 SDSU win.

Finally, Johansen will be opposite Joe Woodley, who coached with Johansen for several years at NAIA Grand View (Des Moines) until 2019, when Johansen left to become USD's defensive coordinator and Woodley became Grand View's head coach, starting a 72-5 run that led to the Drake gig.

What kind of pride and brotherhood does Johansen take with Woodley from having coached in the NAIA before both became Division I head coaches?