San Diego State’s football team has been flirting with disaster all season.
After a disappointing loss to Eastern Illinois to kick off the season, the Aztecs were blown out by Ohio State and dropped a game to Oregon State to start the season with an 0-3 record. SDSU needed a second-half comeback to beat 0-6 New Mexico State, and won an overtime thriller against Nevada last week. Thursday night, in a game that almost didn’t happen due to the government shutdown, the Aztecs mounted another late comeback against 1-6 Air Force.
San Diego State has plenty of talent on the team, but the Aztecs struggle to consistently execute their game plan. Had they not pulled off the comeback against the Falcons last night, SDSU would be sitting at 2-4, with a 1-1 Mountain West Conference record. It wouldn’t be the end of the season, but it would start to look an awful lot like a wasted year. Instead, they’re 3-3, and 2-0 in the conference. They’ll face undefeated Fresno State in two weeks in a game that could turn the entire season around for Rocky Long’s team. Without a Utah State upset over Boise State tomorrow, the winner of the SDSU/Fresno State game on Oct. 26 will be the only team left with an undefeated record against the rest of the Mountain West Conference.
You’re reading the Sports Report, our weekly compilation of news and information for the San Diego sports fan.
Chargers lay an egg in primetime
• The San Diego Chargers continued their trend of following up great wins with disappointing losses, losing to the Oakland Raiders in a special late-night game Sunday. If the trend continues, Mike McCoy’s team will upset the Indianapolis Colts Monday night. We’ll find out this afternoon whether San Diegans can actually watch that game or whether it’ll be the first Monday Night Football game blacked out in 13 years.
• The Chargers lost the Raiders game because they lost the turnover battle: They turned the ball over a whopping five times; the Raiders didn’t turn it over once. There were also a ton of missed opportunities by the San Diego offense and defense.
Bud Black slated for at least one more season as Padres manager
Despite my own begging and pleading, the Padres aren’t ready to end the Bud Black era. After rumors circulated that the Chicago Cubs were interested in Padres’ bench coach Rick Renteria for their open manager position, the Padres announced the entire coaching staff would be back in 2014. Perhaps that entire coaching staff, while they sit at home and watch the playoffs from their living rooms, can figure out how the Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates managed to have successful seasons in 2013 with less money to work with.
Stories you may have missed
• The fight between the Washington Redskins and those who object to racist team names is heating up. Famed columnist Rick Reilly used his American Indian father-in-law as proof that the fight only concerned rich, white businessmen and journalists. His father-in-law responded angrily, saying he was misquoted by Reilly in an obvious attempt to push a pro-Redskins agenda. Dan Snyder, the Redskins’ owner, has hired Lanny Davis to help the team to fight to keep the name. The only problem? Davis is a terrible person.
• The Tijuana Xolo’s playoff hopes are kaput after last week’s loss to Club América. They’ll need to learn how to score goals sometime in the near future if they want to contend for another championship.
• GIF of the Week: San Diego Chargers rookie D.J. Fluker has earned the nickname “Choke Slam” after this devastating play against the Oakland Raiders, which seemed to briefly awaken the Chargers.
(Want to recommend this sports newsletter to someone? Share this sign-up link.)
I’m John Gennaro, contributor to Active Voice and managing editor of Bolts from the Blue. You can tweet me @john_gennaro or e-mail me directly at boltsfromtheblue@gmail.com.
Voice of San Diego is a nonprofit that depends on you, our readers. Please donate to keep the service strong. Click here to find out more about our supporters and how we operate independently.