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By Michael Elliott

Local Focal Point- A lot has to be said for the Cal Poly football team and the season that is now behind it. That being said, let’s say it. Head coach Tim Walsh’s gridiron grapplers had a positive season even though it ended on a negative note. The Mustangs played perhaps one of the most daunting of schedules in all of college football, relevant to their division, and posted a respectable 7-5 won-loss record. An overtime loss right out of the gate to Nevada on the road and the scintillating 42-41 victory at home versus FCS stalwart Montana were truly indicative of the grit and determination of this Cal Poly team that qualified for the FCS playoffs.

The Mustangs had whipped up on their playoff opponent, the University of San Diego, back in week two by a score of 38-16 and were naturally exuding supreme confidence going into the playoff match. However, on a slick and sloppy turf at home at Alex G. Spanos Stadium the ‘Stangs were turned back 35-21.

Poly’s three-pronged rushing attack was very formidable this year as Joe Protheroe, Kori Garcia and Dano Graves bludgeoned defenseless defenses and became the #1 rushing offense in the FCS. Quite the feat for those feet.

Going to hang the green and gold stocking out now and hope that Santa delivers a bit more defense and a more prolific passing game to next year’s team. Keep riding high Mustangs as SLO County and the Central Coast are proud of you.

Only The Strong Survive- But not this one!  The University of Texas jettisoned head football coach Charlie Strong from its program after Strong’s Longhorns produced an abysmal 16-21 record over his three-year stint in Austin.  From the moment Strong was hired he had detractors and they seemed to multiply as the years dragged on.  As the losses piled up they piled on.

The worst kept secret in the land was that University of Houston head coach Tom Herman was being wooed in the wings and that winsome wooing began oozing out of Texas at the beginning of this football season.  Poor ‘ol Charlie didn’t stand a chance.  As much as his players tried to rally around their beleaguered coach it was going to be for naught in the end, as his Longhorns just didn’t have the horses to run with the big boys of college football.

As soon as the clock ran out on their final game it ran out on Charlie Strong as well as the announcement came that Strong was fired and Herman was hired. But on a positive note for Charlie, he will be walking away with 10-plus million pesos for being terminated before his contract expired.  Now, that Strong will survive!

Just Wondering- Speaking of, just wondering if any of you out there have ever heard the song “Only The Strong Survive” recorded by one Jerry Butler?  Didn’t think so.  Howz ‘bout “Coming On Strong” by Brenda Lee?  The USC Trojans obviously have turned an ear to the latter as they are most certainly coming on strong, having won eight games in a row and are moving up the charts with a bullet.

Just wondering why in the world author›s names are printed much larger than their book titles on front covers.  Must be an ego thing.

Just wondering how way cool it is that the University of Colorado in Boulder has goal posts that break down in easy fashion so that students can storm the field and not destroy the posts, as they did in the #9 Buffaloes recent victory over Utah which sent them directly to the PAC12 championship game versus Washington.

Just wondering why in the dickens Parade magazine has to be so very tiny nowadays and, more importantly, why does it have to be so frustratingly buried in and amongst the Sunday comics and adds?

Just wondering if San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick even knows what a rampart is.  Do you?

Just wondering if you want to stuff Michael’s stocking at [email protected]

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