You're fighting a one-man war on the word, there! I think it's got some interesting connotations. On one hand, it borrows from the words earlier meaning of "fighting," as in the player is fighting himself, and on the other, it's got some onomatopoeia qualities, filled with the friction of a machine whose gears aren't properly oiled, whose parts need calibrating. I understand you don't think it's strong enough, but "sucking" is filled with sexual connotation (and gay sexual connotation), and so I imagine players and coaches are sensitive about using it in a tense situation, and writers too. There's a hit-and-miss about which papers will allow it. "Struggling" is probably the best play there, but I'm guessing the writers have picked up "scuffling" from its frequent clubhouse usage.