‘Football Weekend-Some Good-Some Bad’———-

Where do you want to start with what we saw this weekend.  Just follow my road map.

CHARGERS-ARIZONA…Some weekend for QB-Justin Herbert, throwing, running, driving his team to a last second victory.  He did it with a leaky offensive line, no run game but alot of grit and guile.  He got sacked 4-times, he threw some bad passes, but he was still doing it in the final minute of the game.  He’s a winner with little help.  The nickle and dime offense has to rely on Austin Ekeler, who had 11-catches, a bunch of key ones.  His pass protection got worse as the day went on, four sacks and 8-pressures but he just hangs in there.

The defense did yeoman work late in the game, forcing the Cardinals to 3-straight 3-and-outs, aided by punts that forced Arizona  to start drives at the 5-6-and-25.  Arizona’s defense wilted,especially the secondary down the stretch.

Of course the Kliff Kingsbury play-calling was poor too.  When you have the likes of  DeAndre Hopkins, Robbie Anderson..Hollywood Brown..AJ Green, plus Kyler Murray and James Conner, you wonder how they could have so many 3-and-outs.  Kingsbury’s team is (4-8) and on thin ice.

So the Bolts keep their wildcard playoff hopes alive for another week, and next week is another road game against the suddenly tougher Raiders in Las Vegas.

OHIO STATE-MICHIGAN…Wow, did anyone see that coming.  A Michigan team without its top running backs, and a QB-who had a history of inaccuarcy.  An Ohio State team that had steamrolled everyone, and then this second half beat-down.

Big play after big play burning the Buckeyes conference hopes, playoff hopes, national title hopes.

It was more than just QB-JJ McCarthy throwing 3-TD bombs or backup RB-Donovan Edwards busting off 75-and-85 yard runs.

It was an X-and-O  battle with defensive coordinators hitting the other team with surprise formations.  Ohio State committed to stop the run, believing the secondary would hold up.   It was a shocker as McCarthy scorched the Buckeyes with a (225Y) worrth of bombs…what a series  of big pass plays.  And Michigan’s defense confused CJ Stroud in his pre-reads and the Buckeyes big time receivers disappeared after halftime.

Oh the critics are out in Columbus where Ryan Day has lost back to back games to the School Up North, and people are wondering if this is another John Cooper hire, who was (2-10) aginst Michigan.

Some off season ahead for the Buckeyes after back to back beatings by the U-of-M.  Some winter of gloating coming out of Ann Arbor from Jim Harbaugh.

AZTECS-AIR FORCE…The season ends up (7-5), a lousy loss to Air Force, and alot of the same ingredients we saw to start the season, we saw in the season finale.  QB in-efficiency, a (-1) yard rushing, can you believe that, turnovers, offensive line penalties and a lopsided stat sheet.

So much for my theory SDSU could run the table from idseason on.  They got sand-blasted by Boise-Fresno-Air Force.  They beat just 1-team with a winning record.  And the fans stopped coming to games at Snapdragon Stadium.

A huge setback of a season for Brady Hoke’s program, and now he virtually loses his entire defense to graduation.  Not sure what is worse, the losing this fall, or the fact the town no longer seems to care.

What a weekend for the winners and losers in football.

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