A whopping eleven games were decided by six points or less this week. That means I'll have a tough time choosing which games to highlight for this week's roundup, so don't get mad at me if your game wasn't featured.

Archie Chasser legs are almost certainly worn down to bloody little nubs after carrying the ball 37 times and catching five passes in [b956aa13]Albany's[/b956aa13] (7-5) 23-17 OT win over [b956aa13]Memphis[/b956aa13] (2-9-1). He gained 135 yards on those carries, the last five of which went for the decisive TD. Albany dominated this one statistically, but ill-timed turnovers short-circuited their scoring opportunities.

[b956aa13]Arizona[/b956aa13] (5-7) gave [b956aa13]Fargo[/b956aa13] (9-3) all they could handle and actually led 34-31 until Fargo's Rickey Griffith nailed a 40-yd FG with :24 left to force OT. Griffith then came through again with a 50 yarder to win the game. Freddie Matthias had another nice game with 316 passing yards and 2 TDs, but Brett Hedges stole the show in this one: 381 yards and 4 TDs. Fargo remains preposterously healthy, with only one active "probable" player on the injury report, so look for them to be a force come postseason.

[b956aa13]Boise[/b956aa13] (8-4) may get sent to detention after school for beating up [b956aa13]Sacramento[/b956aa13] (8-4) and stealing their lunch money in a 30-3 rout. The Dragons' defense simply failed to show up against Brandon Lin, who threw 3 TD passes, and overall yielded 432 yards to Boise. Sacramento's offense, on the other hand, couldn't get anything going all game long. Boise's win came with a price though: starting safety Jeff Hulse broke his clavicle and will miss nearly two months.

[b956aa13]Boston's[/b956aa13] (8-4) Isaiah Melo racked up 1.5 sacks and 4 hurries against Josh Urrutria and [b956aa13]Tampa Bay[/b956aa13] (8-4), leading the defensive effort in a 13-10 win. Dwayne Bridges connected with Irv Schwartz on a 52-yd bomb for a TD to start the 1st quarter scoring, but Boston's offense then went silent until nailing two field goals in the last four minutes of the game. Boston's punter Al Golding did as much to keep them in the game as anyone, averaging 46.5 yards on six punts, dropping three of them inside the 20.

In what some would call the game of the week, [b956aa13]Shreveport[/b956aa13] (9-2-1) bested [b956aa13]Detroit[/b956aa13] (9-3) by the score of 26-24. The winning points came on a Brenden "Jim J" Bullock 18 yd FG with :43 left. Shreveport's balanced attack (231 passing yds, 165 rushing) and opportunistic defense (3 sacks, 2 INTs) held Detroit at bay. Johnnie Titone's interceptions were key in this one, as one came deep in Shreveport territory and another gave Shreveport great field position. Detroit's nine penalties didn't help their cause. Both teams lost some key starters in this one, but the injury overshadowing them all was Douglas Hartman's pulled groin, which has him listed as "doubtful" for next week.

[b956aa13]Durham[/b956aa13] (5-7-1) has had some of the worst luck in the league this year (Las Vegas, of course, leads the league in that department), having now suffered five of their seven losses by a TD or less. [b956aa13]Hartford[/b956aa13] (10-2) was this week's beneficiary with a 19-16 OT win. Speaking of luck, Hartford got a 4th quarter 82-yd kickoff return for a TD from Arlen Gallegos for their only TD of the day, and that was what they'd need to force OT. Both teams continued their offensive ineptitude in the extra period, with neither team scoring until Hartford's 33 yd FG with :47 left.

The league's best record continues to belong to [b956aa13]Honolulu[/b956aa13] (10-1-1), who put a 27-3 thrashing on [b956aa13]Santa Cruz[/b956aa13] (2-9-1). Honolulu's defense made QB Quentin Larrabee look every bit the rookie, forcing him into an embarrassing 8/23, 82 yd, 1 INT performance. Randolph Kranz was somewhat less spectacular today, going 16/31 for 204 yds and 2 TDs, but the Beagles didn't need him to be spectacular. The 16-year veteran also showed that his legs still work, scrambling 3 times for 28 yds and a TD.

Defending champion [b956aa13]Denver[/b956aa13] (9-3) went Tony Danza on [b956aa13]Tucson's[/b956aa13] (7-5) ass and reminded them who the boss was by the score of 26-10. This one shouldn't have even been this close, as Denver's defense held Tucson to just 189 total yards, but their offense sputtered in the red zone and they had to settle for just 1 TD and 4 FGs. Zachary Duggan led the way for Denver with 3 sacks.

Elsewhere in the CFL in week 13:

[b956aa13]Baltimore[/b956aa13] (5-6-1) 17, [b956aa13]Chicago[/b956aa13] (2-10) 14
[b956aa13]Charleston[/b956aa13] (10-2) 24, [b956aa13]Cleveland[/b956aa13] (1-11) 21
[b956aa13]Anchorage[/b956aa13] (5-7) 30, [b956aa13]El Paso[/b956aa13] (4-7-1) 28
[b956aa13]Huntington Beach[/b956aa13] (5-6-1) 27, [b956aa13]Las Vegas[/b956aa13] (0-11-1) 23
[b956aa13]Atlantic City[/b956aa13] (6-6) 31, [b956aa13]New Orleans[/b956aa13] (4-8 ) 27
[b956aa13]Seattle[/b956aa13] (6-6) 20, [b956aa13]Long Beach[/b956aa13] (3-8-1) 6
[b956aa13]Tulsa[/b956aa13] (7-5) 17, [b956aa13]Oregon[/b956aa13] (4-8 ) 16

_________________

Ring of Fire Division Champions - 2009, 2011-2026, 2028-33
Western Conference Champions - 2011-2013, 2016, 2017, 2019-2022, 2024, 2025, 2028, 2033
CFL Champions - 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2025

Chasser had all of overtime help it go up to 37 carries, the second stringer had 10 so we spread it out. run this guy, run him again, then run that guy, works against Vegas.