It's good to be Travis Johansen right now. His No. 17 ranked FCS team won the annual "State vs U" rivalry showdown over No. 16 South Dakota State on Saturday and continued their climb back into the FCS playoff fold. The Coyotes have beaten back-to-back ranked teams in the DakotaDome to flip their season from 5-4 and in danger of missing the postseason and maybe even finishing with a losing record to 7-4 (ensuring a winning record) and the kind of squad that could be dangerous in the playoffs. While the 26-21 win over then-No. 8 North Dakota was certainly a shot in the arm for the Coyotes' season on the ropes, beating the in-state rival and well-established FCS powerhouse SDSU in a hard-fought 24-17 game gives USD serious rocket fuel for the stretch run, including Saturday's regular season finale at No. 21 Southern Illinois. A win there and nobody doubts USD will secure a playoff berth, if not a first round home game. Does Johansen believe his team already has the resume to be in the postseason field, even if it doesn't come home from Carbondale victorious? He answers that question directly and other important matters like: The "Little Brown Jug" trophy awarded to the State-U winner has resided in Brookings ever since the Jackrabbits moved to Div. I over 20 years ago — would Johansen like the tradition to come back? Will Johansen, indeed, "lose the hair," as one wiseguy tweeter suggested on Saturday after Johansen's hat came off during the game to expose his... recession? How would Johansen describe the feeling of being hoisted by one of his players in a boisterous locker room celebration after Saturday's win? But seriously, how about the moxie and leadership that Aidan Bouman has provided after both the graduate senior quarterback and the entire offense sputtered through the first half of the slate? What has led to the subtle uptick in yards, points, and winning playmaking? How has L.J. Phillips consistently racked up yards (169 on Saturday) — he's the third leading FCS rusher in the nation — despite that, by now defenses know he'll be toating the rock on more than one-third of USD's plays, especially when the Yotes are leading in the fourth quarter and trying to salt away the clock, like Saturday? And, how about that defense? Johansen dives into the stories of defensive back DeJuan Lewis and defensive lineman Mosai Newsom. What makes the Salukis dangerous?

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