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 first-year head coach Travis Johansen, who did not expect his team to be so far from its standard.

But it happened, and where does that leave Johansen and the Coyotes beyond their 2-3 record and now razor-thin margin of error to reach the FCS playoffs?

Johansen has stated much of the carnage was a result of "execution" errors by players. What are examples of that? He feels the team was well-prepared and players in position to make the right plays. So, was part of this just the Bison having a better team and better athletes?

Did it leave USD to do some soul searching? Is it forcing wide-sweeping changes in schemes or personnel? What kind of big picture perspective might need a look after five games, considering the Coyotes were replacing so many All-Americans and All-MVFC players, plus the head coach and coordinators?

Johansen goes deep diving with Happy Hour host John Gaskins about the team's culture, how to prevent the season from going off the rails, how Johansen draws from past blowout losses — and both winning and losing seasons at USD — to both operate and inspire. He's been here before, just not as the head coach.

Toward the end, some time is spent on 0-4 Murray State, the Coyotes' Dakota Days homecoming opponent on Saturday. But for the most part, these 25 minutes are spent looking into how Johansen and his coaches will keep a season with high expectation on the rails toward at least a playoff berth.