PANTHERS COME UP SHORT AGAINST STALLIONS

For the second week in a row, the Panthers got out to a slow start, going 3 and out on their first two drives, and really struggling to find any sort of a rhythm in the first quarter. Michigan’s defense hung tough and consistently shut down the Stallions once they got into the red zone.

 

The Stallions were up 3-0 after the first quarter when Michigan’s offense finally started to click. However, a costly interception by E.J. Perry killed the momentum and Birmingham capitalized with another short field goal. 

 

With the score sitting at 6-0, the Panthers switched things up and put in backup quarterback Danny Etling to see if he could change Michigan’s fortunes. That experiment lasted all of 3 plays, when he fumbled the ball after scrambling to try to pick up the first down. 

 

The Stallions kicked their third short field goal of the half, and with the score now sitting at 9-0, things looked bleak for the Panthers. However, E.J. Perry came back into the game with renewed energy and showed why this Panthers team has a chance to win any game that they are in. As standout WR Marcus Simms slipped behind his defender, E.J. Perry threw a perfectly placed ball, hitting Simms right in stride and he took it 76 yards to the house. A one point conversion was successful, and just like that the Panthers were back in the game, 9-7. 

 

Unfortunately, the Panthers defense couldn’t keep the Stallions out of the end zone forever, and when they scored a touchdown with 26 seconds left in the half, it looked like they would be taking a two score lead into halftime. 

 

However, when you have the strongest kicker in the league (maybe in the world), 26 seconds is plenty of time to put some more points up. A few quick completions got the Panthers past midfield, and that's all that was needed to give Jake Bates an opportunity to kick another ridiculously long field goal. Bates drilled a 62 yard field goal that likely would have been good from 72, and the Panthers entered halftime down 17-10. 

 

The second half saw both teams catch on to their opponent’s tricks. Birmingham was utilizing a two quarterback system all day, as Matt Corral and Adrian Martinez took turns commanding the offense. While Martinez was mainly a scrambler, and Corral mainly a pocket passer, both found success with running and passing through much of the first three quarters. 

 

The motto for the Panthers defense was clearly “bend, don’t break” as Birmingham consistently got into the redzone, but got shut down short of the goal line nearly every time. Birmingham settled for another field goal midway through the 3rd quarter, going up 20-10, but the Panthers answered back with a 52 yard field goal to keep it at a one score game going into the fourth quarter. 

 

It is interesting to note that Jake Bates has been a kickoff specialist his entire career, and before this season, never attempted a true in-game field goal in his life (he attempted 3 extra point attempts for the Houston Texans in a pre-season stint). Jake Bates’ career stat line on field goals is 3 for 3, converting from 64, 62, and 52 yards out. That is absolute insanity.

 

With the game winding down, the Panthers faced a fourth and inches from their own 35 yard line and decided to punt. This drew the ire of the crowd, but Mike Nolan had faith that his defense would hold up at this crucial point in the game, and his faith was rewarded as the defense forced a 3-and-out and the Panthers would have the opportunity to win the game on the last drive for the second week in a row.

 

The Stallions defense was tough, but a little overly aggressive as two personal foul penalties helped the Panthers march down the field. With only a few seconds remaining, Michigan was able to get the ball to the Stallions 20 yard line, but an incomplete pass on 4th down meant they would come up just short of another late-game miracle. 

 

There are no moral victories in football. A 10 game season means every contest is far too important to be satisfied with a competitive loss, but there is a huge silver lining here. The Battlehawks and the Stallions are the runaway favorites to win the UFL this year. Michigan started with as tough of a schedule that one could open with, and they came out with a victory and a very close loss. If they can cut down on the mental errors, they should be able to handle business against the rest of the league, and find themselves in the playoffs at the end of the season. 

 

Next week, the Michigan Panthers (1-1) host the Houston Roughnecks (0-2). That game will air on Sun. April 14 at 12:00 PM EST on ABC.

 

The Stallions (2-0) will have their home opener against the Memphis Showboats (1-1). That game will air on Sat. April 13 at 7:00 PM EST on FOX.