PANTHERS WEEK 11: 8TH TIME'S A CHARM

The Michigan Panthers defeated the Birmingham Stallions, 44-29 on Sunday to advance to the UFL Championship game.

 

This was the first time since the rebooted USFL in 2022 that the Panthers bested the Stallions, having lost their previous seven encounters. To say that it was a sigh of relief would be an understatement. 

 

It wasn’t easy for Michigan, nor should it have been. Getting your first victory against a team that has always had your number should be a fight. It should require you to play at your very best. It should require you to overcome adversity and never take your foot off the gas, and that’s exactly how it went down. 

 

The adversity started before the game even got underway, as #1 CB Adonis Alexander was a last minute scratch from the game due to injury issues.

 

The first drive of the game saw Michigan facing a 4th-and-1, and Coach Nolan decided to play conservatively and punt the ball away. Last year, the Panthers were notorious for taking risks. Whether it was going for it on fourth down, fake punts, or trick plays, Michigan seemed to have more of a risk-taking mentality. This year, they played much more conservatively, choosing to rely on their defense to get the ball back. 

 

The strategy worked as Michigan was able to force Birmingham to punt and Xavier Malone, the defending Special Teams Player of the Week, returned the ball 55 yards to set the Panthers up in great field position. It didn’t take long for them to take advantage, as RB Toa Taua got into the end zone for the first score of the game. The extra point conversion was good and Michigan took a quick 7-0 lead. 

 

The Stallions tried to answer back with a field goal from their big legged “Thiccer Kicker” Harrison Mevis (he gave himself that nickname, by the way). However, his 56 yard field goal attempt missed and the Panthers once again had great field position. Perhaps the Thiccer Kicker should have had a Snickers before the game.

 

On the next drive, there were two obvious facemask penalties against Birmingham that did not get called. It is interesting that Coach Nolan didn’t choose to challenge either of those plays, but there were a few times earlier in the season where he lost his challenge early in the game and didn’t have the ability to use it later when it was more vital. That was most likely the reason why he didn’t use his Super Challenge. 

 

Despite the obvious penalties, QB Bryce Perkins made some fantastic moves to keep the drive alive and the Panthers quickly found themselves on the goal line. Perkins rushed it in, and another 1 point conversion was good, extending the Panthers’ lead to 14-0.

 

The absence of Adonis Alexander was felt on the next drive as Birmingham WR Dion Cain broke a 65 yard catch-and-run. On the very next play, J’Mar Smith threw a great lob to Jordan Thomas in the end zone, and Birmingham was able to cut the lead to 14-6, as the Panthers dominance on extra point plays continued to be evident. 

 

The Panthers punted once again as Nolan continued to stick to his conservative gameplan. The plan once again payed off as J’Mar Smith was picked off by Safety Kai Nacua who took it to the house and gave the Panthers a two score lead once again, 21-6. 

 

After the interception, Birmingham HC Skip Holtz decided to turn to backup QB Matt Corral. Corral is an experienced Panther killer, having come in for relief in last year’s USFL Conference Championship game and completed a comeback effort. He led the Stallions to a week 2 victory over the Panthers this year, as well.  

 

The move paid immediate dividends as Corral led the Stallions down the field and scored a touchdown. The 2 point conversion was good and suddenly Birmingham was nipping at Michigan’s heels, 21-14.

 

The half ended when Bryce Perkins was sacked out of field goal range. With Birmingham getting the ball to start the second half, all of the momentum had shifted over to the Stallions.

 

However, along with extra points, the Panthers have been dominant in the 3rd quarter. In fact, in the three years that Mike Nolan has been the head coach of this team, they've only lost one game where they outscored their opponent in the third quarter. 

 

The Stallions started strong, getting past midfield and making a 56 yard field goal to close the gap to 21-17. This was particularly frustrating as the Panthers had forced Birmingham to punt, but a 5 yard penalty on Michigan got the Stallions just close enough for the field goal. After the drive, Coach Nolan was seen ripping into his defense, imploring them to play smarter. 

 

Birmingham seemed to have everything going their way as Michigan was faced with a 3rd-and14, but Bryce Perkins showed why he’s the MVP of the league and made a great scramble to keep the drive alive. He then made a great deep pass to WR Devin Ross before Toa Taua punched in his second touchdown of the game from 5 yards out. The Panthers stopped the bleeding and extended their lead to 28-17. 

 

After a quick stop from the defense, the Panthers really opened up the game when WR Malik Turner took a simple 6 yard cross route and broke it for a 76 yard touchdown. The Panthers now had their largest lead of the game, going up 34-17.

 

However, the Stallions are three time defending champions for a reason, and quickly answered back with a great throw from Corral to Davis, but the two point conversion was no good and the score stood at 34-23 Michigan.

 

It seemed like a collapse was inevitable, as on the very next drive a screen pass fumble gave BIrmingham great field position. Corral hit another quick touchdown pass and the seemingly insurmountable lead had shrunk to just 5 points. 

 

But this year would be different for Michigan. A second half collapse would not repeat itself, because Michigan’s next possession was a 9 play drive that ended with Taua completing the hat trick and scoring his third touchdown of the game. 

 

Arnold Tarpley then got his 3rd interception on the season and BT Potter added some style points, putting Michigan on top 44-29. Appropriately, the game was officially sealed when CB Dee Delaney (who was only on the field because of Alexander not being able to go) scooped up a Corral fumble and the Panthers ended the game in victory formation. 

 

Next week, the Panthers will face the XFL division champion DC Defenders in St. Louis for the championship. The game will take place on Saturday, June 14th at 8:00 PM EST on ABC. 

 

Michigan previously defeated the Defenders 38-14 in a week 6 matchup in Detroit. 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

This was a total team effort, as offense, defense, and special teams all played well and came up with huge plays to help with the victory.

 

Birmingham was able to rip off a couple long passes, which has been the Achilles Heel of Michigan all season long. Jordan Ta’amu is the best throwing QB in the league, and the Panthers are going to have their hands full with him in the championship game. It is crucial that Adonis Alexander gets healthy enough to play, as we’re going to need a huge performance from our secondary. 

 

It’s great to see the top two candidates for MVP make it to the championship game. WR Tyler Vaughns for Arlington had a spectacular year, but this award has to go to either Jordan Ta’amu or Bryce Perkins. Ta’amu has the throwing stats over Perkins, but Perkins has missed time due to both injury, and the early two quarterback system that the Panthers ran. Either way, it’ll be well deserved, and I’m sure both players would say they’d rather have a championship trophy over an MVP trophy any day.