Tuesday marks the first day of the 15-day window in which the Minnesota Vikings could franchise tag a free agent, and all NFL eyes are on Eagan to see if they'll keep Sam Darnold. How much will it take to tag Darnold, and is that worth it, considering the other free agents they may want to keep or move in on, and considering 2024 first-round pick J…

Both USD squads jumped on their in-state rivals and nemeses early, but in both cases, the Jackrabbits made major second half leaps (runs) to extend their winning streaks in the series — 10 straight for the men, seven straight for the women, back to Dawn Plitzuweit's last team. What was the biggest difference in both games this time around? When it …

What was the biggest difference in both the South Dakota State men's and women's teams' wins over South Dakota this time around? Both Coyotes squads jumped on their in-state rivals and nemeses early, but in both cases, the Jackrabbits made major second half leaps (runs) to extend their winning streaks in the series — 10 straight for the men, seven …

When South Dakota and South Dakota State lock horns in hoops, it is always a big deal. But this weekend's tilts are seeping with late-season storylines and drama. Both men's teams are red hot coming into their showdown in Vermillion. The Jacks have won seven of their last eight while the Yotes have won five or their last six. USD is 12-1 at home an…

It's stretch run time for Summit League basketball, with the third-place South Dakota State men hosting first-place Omaha in Brookings tonight. The Mavericks are on a magic carpet ride from out of nowhere — a ride that started with an incident involving a trash can in their locker room that has become a national phenomenon, now covered by The New Y…

This may be as good of a mood Matt Zimmer has ever been in the four-plus years of "Nobody's Listening Anyway," as he appears to still be glowing — and gloating — over the humiliation of Patrick Mahomes and the get-out-of-my-life Kansas City Chiefs. However, Zimmer and John Gaskins explain why the putrid performance did not put much of a dent in Mah…

Time for more South Dakotans to watch and enjoy our version of Caitlyn Clark — USD senior guard Grace Larkins from Altoona, Iowa, who is the third-leading scorer in the nation (24.8 ppg) and the only player to rack up 40 points in one game twice this season. She leads the Summit League in points, rebounds, and assists, and is 33 points shy of her 2…

The senior guard from Altoona, Iowa, is the third-leading scorer in the nation (24.8 ppg) and the only player to rack up 40 points in one game twice this season. She leads the Summit League in points, rebounds, and assists, and is 33 points shy of her 2,000th career point and third on the all-time Coyote career scoring list. This, after being named…

The last time Staff Sgt. Kim Hubers was in New Orleans, she spent six weeks helping clean up the wreckage of Hurricane Katrina as a member of the South Dakota Army National Guard. People who had lost everything in their lives literally fell into her arms. Twenty years later, the lifelong Vikings fan was wrapped in Justin Jefferson's arms as part of…

Move over, Peyton and Eli Manning. The father-son combo of former 11-time league champion Sioux Falls Storm coach Kurtiss Riggs and his son Peyton — the Arizona Rattlers offensive coordinator who held the same job with the Storm — made for a marvelous Monday Happy Hour. The Riggs break down the Eagles' bludgeoning of the Chiefs and assess where Pat…

Episode Notes Rivers Cumo once said "I wanna go back, back to the shack, back to the Strat with the lightning strap" and we echo that message back going back to our roots for a 1000th story celebration about the stories the occurred at both the birth of the podcast and the birth of us. Rivers Cumo also once said "Watching Grunge leg drop New Jack t…

The "Britton Bomber" and former SDSU terrorizing tight end Dallas Goedert has made a strong case of his potential to make the biggest play, or plays, in the big game on Sunday. In fact, one high-level NFL analyst says you should bet on that happening. Hear Goedert's thoughts (in a local Philadelphia TV interview) on coming back to health from his k…

The son of local football legend Kurtiss Riggs, Peyton Riggs was a two-year offensive coordinator for the Sioux Falls Storm and now has the same title with the Arizona Rattlers in the same league. Peyton has also coached and helped develop, some of the top high school football talent in South Dakota as both an assistant at O'Gorman and the assistan…

Not stoked about the Super Bowl? John Gaskins attempts to jar you loose of your apathy (you're watching Hendrix, Babe Ruth, Beethoven, and Michael Jackson do the moonwalk!), while his weekly happy hour drinking buddy, Jon Oppold, speaks on behalf of a lot of Vikings fans why this game does not excite them. For the next hour, we talk to a country bo…

The Cherokee, Iowa, native was almost Mr. Irrelevant, a 7th-round NFL Draft pick in 1995 to the already-burgeoning Green Bay Packers under Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre. His assistant offensive line coach was Andy Reid, and Timmerman has stories, which included eating a philly cheese steak in a limo with "Big Red" in Philadelphia years later. And, …

The host of the morning show in Kansas City paints the picture of a Super Bowl Thursday in New Orleans — the sights, the (mostly NFL) celebrities, and a fun encounter with a Super Bowl-winning coach and broadcaster. Plus, why the Chiefs will be the first team to ever three-peat, and why saying the refs are helping the Chiefs win is a "disservice to…

Steve Miller sucks! That's Matt's opinion on the 1970's and 80's rocker, and he isn't much more excited about the Super Bowl, despite the fact the Chiefs could reach NFL mortality with three straight titles. Warning: We are NOT your authority on the breakdown of the matchups of the game!... but we do dive into prop bets and past Super Bowl halftime…

Another FCS team appears to be leaving for the FBS to make the path just a little easier for North Dakota State and South Dakota State, and South Dakota to win national titles. Why is Sacramento State making the move, and why does it appear the Dakotas schools won't do so anytime soon? Interview 1 - Dick Vermeil One of seven coaches to lead two dif…

Tonight's game will be televised statewide on KSFL-TV Ch. 36 (Midco Ch. 616) and KNBN-2 (Ch. 21 in Rapid City), and can also be seen online at SiouxFallsLive.com and MitchellRepublic.com. Sioux Falls Jefferson may be 5-8, but the Cavaliers are back at full strength and hoping for a season-swinging road win at No. 3 Mitchell (9-2) in the Corn Palace…

One of seven coaches to lead two different teams to the Super Bowl, Vermeil led the Eagles to the big game in 1980 (a loss to the Raiders), burned out on coaching three years later, came out of a 14-year retirement to take over the St. Louis Rams in 1997 and spearheaded the legendary "Greatest Show on Turf" with third-string Kurt Warner to a title …

South Dakota native and former University of Sioux Falls head coach Kalen DeBoer hires former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb into the same role at Alabama. Grubb coached for DeBoer at USF, Eastern Michigan, Fresno State, and Washington — where the two led the Huskies to the national title game in 2023 with the nation's second-bes…

The former All-American USD linebacker will play in his 3rd Super Bowl in 3 NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday and joins John Gaskins for 22 minutes! Hear what it is like to be teammates with Patrick Mahomes, his memory of making a tackle in the Super Bowl his rookie year, and about his early career moments where the undrafted free a…

Episode Notes When TV shows cared about Nielsen ratings, ad rates would be set based on how well a show performed during a very specific portion of the year called "Sweeps Week". To goose the system, shows would bring out all the stops with big episodes, guest stars, all of that. We honor that tradition as the road to 1000 stories comes to a close …

After a 72-62 win at North Dakota State last night, South Dakota State is in the driver's seat of the Summit League regular season and No. 1 seed in the tournament, even though they aren't in first place and there are eight games remaining on the conference slate. Why? John Gaskins explains how SDSU is now the team to beat. Then — another glaring e…

The South Dakota men's basketball team strormed back from a 13-point halftime hole to deal first-place Omaha its first Summit League loss in a game that could be a turning point for the high-flying, up-tempo Coyotes. After John Gaskins opines on why a late-season USD heater would be awesome — for both the Coyotes and Jackrabbits fans — third year h…

In a rollicking, one-hour pow-wow from the Gateway Lounge, 17-year friends and 5-year podcast partners John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer take their maiden voyage on a made-for-TV (well, YouTube) episode and dive further into the nation's obsession and aggression toward the Kansas City Chiefs, then steer into local football matters like Zim's interview w…

Perhaps the best offensive lineman in South Dakota high school football history, 6-4, 320-pound Hudson Parliament chose Iowa over Nebraska after a long and heated recruiting process that included offers from Minnesota, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Northwestern, and Georgia Tech, plus interest from Oregon, Penn State, Notre Dame, and Alabama. P…

The 11-time league champion former coach of the Sioux Falls Storm uses his deep connections to the SDSU and USD football programs to weigh in on their new head coaching hires, the staffs that have assembled, and the players that either took off or stuck around. Why is SDSU in good hands with Eric Eidsness running the offense? Why is Mark Gronowski …

Episode Notes No further explanation needed. Ranked This Episode: X-Men v5 #10-11 (Empyre) Wolverine & The X-Men Annual #1 Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet & Uncanny X-Men #387 Check out the Battle of the Atom Master Ranking List! New content every week on ComicsXF.com Follow Adam on Twitter @arthurstacy & never try to find Zack! Our theme music …

What should we make of SDSU football's latest staff hires and incoming transfers (from all levels - Big Ten to NAIA)? Should USD vs. SDSU basketball games be doubleheaders like the old days? John answers those questions and dives into last night's Jackrabbits and Coyotes basketball results, then digs in with SDSU men's coach Eric Henderson, who has…

In his six years in Brookings, Hendo has guided the Jackrabbits to four Summit League regular season titles and two NCAA Tournaments, all the while exuding positive vibes and energy that make even bouncy football coach Dan Jackson say, "whoa." John Gaskins catches up with the Iowa native to find out where the infectious spirit comes from as SDSU (1…

A week after the passing of 54-year Hall of Fame Brewers radio announcer — Bob Uecker one of the most beloved and celebrated American broadcasters, beer pitch men and comedic entertainers of our lives — one of his booth partners for the last nine seasons joins us to capture intimate Uecker essence and experience. Lane Grindle is a Hastings, Iowa, n…

Matt Zimmer's unique perspective on both Dan Jackson & Travis Johansen — both fan bases should be happy, but don't get too comfortable if your team continues to be a national title contender or winner. That's the reality of today's FCS. Plus, a word about the fan bases of SDSU and USD and, yes, the attendance at their games and the way their teams …

The 13-year USD football game TV analyst and Coyote alumnus reacts to Bob Nielson's retirement and the immediate torch pass to six-year defensive coordinator Travis Johansen and what it means for the viability and stability of a Top 5 program. Plus, translating the timing of the two major announcements. Andre also weighs in on Aidan Bouman's return…

You could make a case for 40-year national TV veteran Tim Brando on the Mount Rushmore of all-time college football TV announcers, along with Keith Jackson, Brent Musberger, and Verne Lundquist. The Louisiana native is still calling both college and NFL games on FOX, plus college. Before that, studio and play-by-play stints on ESPN and CBS for near…

Episode Notes This episode is all about Gambit. Why? I mean, that's quite the important question. Friedrich Nietzsche said "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." Of course, Nietzsche also said "The Superman is the meaning of the earth." and I remember just enough about that time he had blue electricity powers to use that as evidence to…

On a historic day in which Bob Nielson held his "retirement" press conference, then his hand-picked successor (with authorization of A.D. Jon Schemmel) Travis Johansen was introduced to the media and Coyote masses in another press conference, John Gaskins and Nathan Swaffar start the show with their thoughts on both media events, plus their one-on-…

Following his retirement press conference with the media, the USD head coach dives deeper about his decision to retire, conversations and messages from past and current players once his retirement was made public, handling the transition to Travis Johansen during the "portal window," how the Coyotes blossomed into a Top 5 program the last two seaso…

One minute after John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer walked out of a nearly hour-long conversation with the new SDSU football in his office, Jackson actually broke the news via text that USD coach Bob Nielson is retiring. So, John and Zim begin with a 12-minute reaction to the 65-year-old's decision to step down after a nine seasons in Vermillion and 32 o…

One of America's highest-profile college football and basketball anchors and play-by-play voices for over 30 years, Brando has spent time with Deion Sanders at Colorado and gives a unique perspective on why he thinks "Coach Prime" will stay in Boulder and forego a chance to coach his beloved Dallas Cowboys. (We'll have plenty more strong college fo…

The 30-year Forum of Fargo-Moorhead columnist predicts SDSU's 2025 success based off gutted roster, explains why Jimmy Rogers' actions since taking the Washington State job were not becoming of a "Mr. Jackrabbit" kind of guy, and gives glimpse into Bryce Lance's decision to forego potentially far more money and a higher profile in the FBS and stay …

USD's Aidan Bouman and NDSU's Bryce Lance — two of the best players on two of the best teams in FCS football — decided to not take six figures (maybe seven) to "move up" in the FBS, like SDSU's Tucker Kraft before them but unlike SDSU's Mark Gronowski and Griffin Wilde. Why might it be a better "pay off" to stay put at an FCS power? Also, takeaways…

Nicknamed "The Spin Doctor" for his elusive moves, Foreman rushed for nearly 6,000 yards in an eight-year NFL career (1973-80), the first seven in Minnesota — which included three Super Bowls — earning him team Hall of Fame honors. He channeled many successful Vikings playoff runs in the 1970's in observing the entire team last night in Arizona, an…

Who is the early national title favorite in 2025 now that the transfer portal has closed — NDSU, SDSU, USD, or another FCS squad? John breaks down the dust settling and smoke clearing on those programs' rosters after a wild portal period, especially at SDSU. The only returning quarterback from those three teams, Aidan Bouman, joins for 43 minutes t…

Already one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the country and USD history, Bouman surprised many — maybe even himself — by deciding to use his final year of eligibility and return to Vermillion for some unfinished business near the top of FCS football. Why did run back to the Yotes, and what kind of prospects did he consider from NFL personnel a…

Episode Notes Once upon a time, in the years before Xavier Files, Zack and his friend Thomas started an X-Men book club where the first thing they wanted to talk about was Mike Carey's X-Men work. This is then that domino meme that gets us to this very moment nearly a decade later.Ranked This Episode: X-Men: Legacy Annual #1, #228-230 (Devil at the…

After Dan Jackson made his public debut as SDSU football head coach in Brookings in an emotional, mostly jovial press conference, John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer discuss the highlights, then sit down for 2-on-1 interviews with athletic director Justin Sell and new (but, yet, old) offensive coordinator Eric Eidsness, who is back for his third stint in …

Mason, the QB1 for 2025 was courted by Jimmy Rogers to join plenty of SDSU teammates at Washington State (along with NIL $), but instead became a lead recruiter to keep teammates in Brookings. A 30-minute conversation about his talks with new head coach Dan Jackson, new offensive coordinator Eric Eidsness, and the potential damage the Jacks will do…

John explains why Eric Eidsness is the best offensive coordinator for SDSU now and why his demotion from OC his last couple years at Northern Illinois (making way for former USD quarterback Wes Beschorner) should not be a concern at all. Then, veteran Des Moines Register columnist Chad Leistikow dives deep about why SDSU legendary quarterback Mark …

John & Matt Zimmer react to Mark Gronowski deciding to spend his final year of eligibility at Iowa, fulfilling a dream come true for a Chicago kid hoping to someday play in the Big Ten. How will this marriage work? Plus, Zim tells SDSU fans seething at players leaving to stop wasting their energy — and why all these departures won't prevent the Jac…