Kurtiss Riggs FULL CHAT: Sam Darnold (Vikes mistake?), Grey Zabel, Broncos go for it, Stafford MVP(?) & legacy, AAA teams to play Omaha squads

Last week, the million dollar rejection South Dakota State offensive lineman Quinten Christensen gave at least one SEC school — instead, he chose to stay and play for the Jackrabbits in 2026 — was the big topic on Happy Hour.    Imagine what the Wessington Springs cattle rancher was thinking as he watched Pierre native Grey Zabel help block Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl on Sunday.   Zabel himself had whopper offers from Power Four schools two years ago before his senior season at North Dakota State. He chose to stay and won a national championship, plus All-America honors. Then, he crushed it against SEC and Big Ten defensive linemen at the Senior Bowl, impressed more scouts at the NFL combine, was drafted 18th in the first round, and started every game for the NFC champion.   So, does Zabel provide an ideal guide for Christensen and other FCS studs to stay at that level instead of taking the big bucks in the big leagues?    South Dakota's premier football analyst Kurtiss Riggs  — 11-time indoor pro football championship coach, four-time national champion player and coach at USF (with Kalen DeBoer), and Sanford Sports Academy football director — answers that question and an hour's worth of more as Happy Hour's Monday afternoon quarterback.   Other topics covered by both Riggs and Happy Hour's host:   * Does Sam Darnold's dynamite NFC Championship Game performance prove the Minnesota Vikings made a mistake by letting him go?   * Should the Broncos have kicked a field goal instead of "go for it" on fourth down early against the Patriots?   * Is Matthew Stafford the NFL's MVP this season + worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame?   * Who will win the Super Bowl?   * What should we make of the Pittsburgh Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy as their head coach?   * What should we make of the SDHSAA allowing 11AAA teams to play squads from Omaha as their "ninth game" outside of the eight games versus other 11AAA teams?   If you've made it to this point in the article, congratulations! We can't send you off writing this line in italics — Nebraska's men's basketball team is ranked No. 5 in the nation after starting 20-0.   Read that again. Soak it in. Ask yourself if this really is Planet Earth where you reside. And if it interests you, enjoy the end of the host's monologue, where he provides his own perspective after an eye-opening Huskers win in Minneapolis on Saturday in The Barn.   Let's just say it was a Barn storm that illustrates why these Huskers are legit... and we have the video and audio from halftime and postgame to prove it.