He seems beyond ready. Has seemed beyond ready since he was introduced as South Dakota's head football coach in January.

But things get real for Travis Johansen when he leads the Coyotes onto the field at Iowa State's Jack Trice Stadium next Saturday — his first game not just as USD's head coach, but for the first time ever for him in that role.

So, what is the latest on both how Johansen has operated in that role so far, and how does he plan to navigate the major decisions a head coach makes during the game, especially against a Power Four conference team that won 11 games and shared the Big 12 title last season?

In a half-hour, one-on-one chat with Happy Hour host John Gaskins, Johansen shares his mindset and previews what is to come, plus describes how he'll handle the defense, which was his baby the last six seasons and a gigantic factor in USD's rise to national championship contention the last couple seasons.

How is he similar to Bob Nielson? How will he be different? Will he call the defense, as some head coaches do? Will a "defensive" minded coach be conservative about offensive approach, as many are?

And who is making waves on that defense in summer camp, to the point they can be relied on to make big stops for the Yotes? Johansen answers all that, while we leave most offensive questions to offensive coordinator Tim Morrison.