Courtesy of UFL
PANTHERS FALL TO BATTLEHAWKS IN WEEK 5 THRILLER
- Mike Mueller, Senior Editor
The Michigan Panthers fell to 3-2 after losing 32-27 against the St. Louis Battlehawks, in what was arguably the best game of the UFL’s young history. The game features six lead changes, a pair of 50+ yard touchdowns and a Panthers player slapping the taste out of a Battlehawks fan’s mouth.
The game started as most Panthers games seem to start, with Michigan going 3 and out. For whatever reason, slow starts have been something the team needs to learn how to overcome. St. Louis, conversely, started out hot, scoring a field goal after getting down the field mostly through the legs of QB Max Duggan.
Duggan took over the role when starter Manny Wilkins went down with a torn achilles tendon last week. Duggan struggled in his relief role, but now with a week of practice under his belt, he seems primed to lead this team for the rest of the year.
Fortunately for the Panthers, their slow start didn’t last long as the very next drive saw them take the ball all the way to the end zone. After a huge run from Toa Taua, QB Bryce Perkins hit WR Siaosi Mariner on a beautiful slant pass and then connected with TE Gunnar Oakes for the touchdown. The one point conversion was no good, but Michigan was up 6-3.
After a short possession from St. Louis, Michigan had the opportunity to extend their lead, but chose to go for it on 4th and 3 instead of attempting a 52 yard field goal. It was a questionable call by HC Mike Nolan, though not the most head-scratching decision he would make during the game.
That came on the next drive when, after St. Louis was able to regain the lead 9-3, he turned to Danny Etling for the drive. Going into the game, Nolan said he was going to run the two QB system, but after Perkins went 11 for 12 with a touchdown to start the game, it seemed strange to not ride the hot hand.
While many teams utilize the two QB system at the beginning of the year (there are no preseason games and the preseason workouts are only a couple of weeks long), usually they settle on a starter by this time. Perkins has been outperforming Etling all year, and while the Panthers offensive line has been great at run blocking, pass protecting has been an issue. Etling is a pocket passer and has been getting destroyed by defenses most of the time that he’s in the game.
True to form, Etling had no time in the pocket and lacked the mobility to scramble away from danger. After nearly turning the ball over on an erratic throw out of a sack, he overthrew his intended receiver badly and St. Louis was able to pick the ball off. They capitalized on the turnover, scoring another touchdown and suddenly the Panthers were going into halftime down 17-6.
Etling wasn’t solely responsible for the Panthers bad first half, though. The team also was penalized ten times throughout the game, by far the most penalties they’ve had all year. This can be partially attributed to the rowdy atmosphere inside of St. Louis’s Dome at America’s Center, but that many penalties makes it very difficult to sustain any kind of momentum.
Another uncharacteristic problem for the Panthers was the lack of rushing defense. The Panthers entered the game as the top run defense in the league, but Duggan and RB Jacob Saylers were able to have their way with the Panthers defensive line. After the game, LB Kenny Willekes attributed it to “guys trying to do too much instead of staying in their lanes and playing solid football.”
However, despite all of these issues, the Panthers refused to die. After giving up an opening drive field goal, the Panthers marched right down the field, led by Bryce Perkins who was clearly playing with a purpose. Perkins dropped a dime to WR Malik Turner in the end zone, and was clearly sending a message to Coach Nolan. The Panthers hit the two point conversion and suddenly it was a 20-14 game.
Frank Ginda and Kenny Willekes crushed Max Duggan on the Battlehawks’ next possession, forcing St. Louis to punt. Michigan continued to stay hot when Perkins connected with Mariner on a 45 yard pass. A few plays later, Taua rushed into the end zone and the Panthers reclaimed the lead, 21-20.
Just when things seemed to be going well for Michigan, Max Duggan hit last year’s offensive MVP Hakeem Butler on a go-route. CB DJ Miller, who has been playing great all year, fell down on the coverage and allowed Butler to cruise into the end zone from 67 yards out. The two point conversion was no good, but St. Louis was back up 26-21.
After Perkins took a nasty hit on the following drive, Etling had to come back into the game for Michigan, and to his credit, he threw a beautiful ball to Samson Nacua and managed the drive well until Perkins could return. Perkins came back, but Michigan focused on the run and Taua recorded his second touchdown of the day. Michigan was once again clinging to a one point lead, 27-26.
However, a mere two plays later, the Battlehawks ran a trick play which saw WR Blake Jackson throw the ball to Butler again, this time for a 57 yard touchdown. Butler clearly pushed off of CB Adonis Alexander, but Mike Nolan lost his challenge earlier in the game, so the play stood and St. Louis was on top 32-27
With one final shot, Michigan was facing a 4th down at midfield. Malik Turner caught the ball but was about two feet short of the line to gain, and St. Louis hung on to win the game.
The Panthers (3-2) will return home in Week 6 to take on the D.C. Defenders (4-1) on Sunday at Ford Field. Kickoff is set for 12 PM ET on ESPN2. The Battlehawks (3-2) will have a quick rematch with the Arlington Renegades (3-2), this time on their home turf at The Dome at America’s Center, kickoff scheduled for 8 PM ET on Friday.
Final thoughts:
Despite a lot of miscues, the Panthers put up more than 400 yards of offense and looked like the better team through most of the game. After the game, Nolan wouldn’t say for certain that he was going to stick with Perkins moving forward, however it would be absolutely shocking to see him still try to utilize a two QB system. It doesn’t allow the players to find and stay in a rhythm, and one QB is clearly outperforming the other. While Danny Etling is a fantastic human being and surely an asset to the locker room, this needs to be Bryce’s team moving forward.
The back half of the Panthers schedule is brutal, as they have to face DC, Arlington, and Birmingham, all of whom have winning records, and they have to play Houston twice, who despite a bad start, has now won two of their past three games. However, if they can clean up the penalties and stick with Perkins, there’s no reason they won’t make it back to the playoffs and hopefully finally get the albatross that is the Birmingham Stallions off of their neck.