Panthers Show Off Against Memphis; Neck Out a Win Against Houston

- Mike Mueller, Senior Editor

Heading into week 10, the Michigan Panthers have continued their winning ways. First defeating the Memphis Showboats 24-18 in week 8, and then squeaking out a 26-22 comeback victory against the Houston Roughnecks. As the Panthers get ready for their week 10 rematch against the juggernaut Birmingham Stallions, let’s take a look back on how they extended their winning streak. 

WEEK 8 - Leaving Ford Field on a High Note

In week 8, the Panthers closed out their home schedule with an impressive victory over the Memphis Showboats, as 9,370 fans were in attendance to see their Panthers one last time.  With Danny Etling out of the game, Michigan relied on a two quarterback system with Bryce Perkins and Brian Lewerke. When RB Wes Hills went down with a leg injury on the first drive, the Panthers were left with one true running back on the field, Matthew Colburn. Colburn made the most of his opportunity, rushing 24 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns. 

While Colburn proved he could carry the workload just fine, the ability of Perkins to scramble effectively took some of the weight off of Colburn, as Perkins added 9 rushes for 56 yards. The Panthers passing attack didn’t miss a beat either. Lewerke and Perkins combined to go 13-for-20 for 183 yards and two touchdowns. This was made all the more impressive given that breakout WR Siaosi Mariner had to leave the game early and go into concussion protocol for the rest of the game. 

With the Panthers’ number two receiver out of the game, the Showboats focused much of their efforts on making star WR Marcus Simms a non-factor. Simms caught only one ball for 5 yards. Michigan needed a new receiver to step up and be the hero for the game, and that hero was Devin Gray. Up until week 8, Gray had a pretty quiet season. He had 6 catches for 53 yards throughout the first 7 weeks, but in week 8 against Memphis he went off for 6 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. 

The ability of Gray and Colburn to step up in this game was critical to the Panthers’ success. It was the most complete offensive game for the Panthers so far this year. For a team that has relied heavily on clock management and big defensive plays all year, the fact that their offense was now exploding was a very good sign for their hopes at a UFL championship. 

Not to be outshined, the defense had yet another impressive game. They pressured the quarterbacks all game long, getting two sacks and an interception on starting QB Case Cookus before eventually knocking him out of the game. Former Michigan Panther QB Josh Love came in, and while he played well and got Memphis back in the game, he, too, felt the wrath of the Panthers and took two sacks as well.

Week 9 - Perkins and Mariner Save the Day 

A banged up Panthers team headed down to Houston and squeaked out a 26-22 comeback victory to improve to 7-2 on the year. 

In their first meeting on April 14, Michigan earned a convincing 34-20 victory. This time around, things were not so easy for the Panthers. For weeks, Coach Mike Nolan has stressed the importance of getting off to a hot start. After all, his team is 5-0 when scoring in the first quarter of the game. 

Unfortunately for the Panthers, Houston’s defense came to play, and shut down the Panthers for most of the first half. QB Danny Etling struggled, going 12-for-18 for 110 yards and an interception. Etling had been a stabilizing force for the Panthers once E.J. Perry went down early in the season, but the last couple of weeks saw Etling in an emergency QB role, and it appears he may have needed one more week off to truly heal up.

It is important to note that the Panthers were playing without several key players, including their starting quarterback, number one running back, starting middle linebacker (who was also the team’s defensive captain), and number one wide receiver. Even UFL Darling Jake Bates was trying to play through a foot injury, and uncharacteristically missed a 39 yard field goal, and the Panthers entered halftime holding on to a narrow 6-3 lead.

Realizing a change was needed, Coach Nolan subbed in backup QB Bryce Perkins for the second half, and fortunes began to change. Perkins is the most agile of the Panthers quarterbacks, and he showed that off in a big way.

The four parts of the Panther’s success this year has been a fast start (didn’t happen), consistent kicking (missed a 39 yard field goal), limiting their penalties and dominating the third quarter. Not one of those things happened for Michigan this week, as the Panthers committed 11 penalties throughout the game, and the third quarter went about as poorly as it could. 

Houston was able to manage three touchdowns in the third quarter, and while Michigan was able to respond with a touchdown of their own, they entered the fourth quarter down 22-12, matching their largest deficit they’ve faced all year. In each of the previous two times they were down by 10, it ended in a loss. Things were not looking good for the Panthers. 

With so many key pieces missing from their lineup, someone needed to step up and be the catalyst for this offense. Those men were Bryce Perkins and WR Siaosi Mariner. 

Perkins showed off his speed, agility, and accuracy, going 12-for-15 for 121 passing yards and a touchdown through the air, and added 79 rushing yards for two more touchdowns

Mariner, who was signed to the team after week one, has seen his role within the team increase with each ensuing game, but this was the game that put him on the UFL map. He ended the game with eight catches on eight targets, for 95 yards, including a game saving catch that should have been an interception.  

The fact that the Panthers won this game is truly mind boggling. They were banged up, they got off to a slow start, couldn’t kick a field goal, they had yet another touchdown called back on a holding penalty, and they had a horrible third quarter. On top of that, they didn't really have anything to play for. Their playoff spot is locked, and home field advantage isn't an option. Point blank, they should have not won this game. 

However, the box score can tell you a lot of things, but it can’t tell you a team’s grit and determination. Perkins and Mariner carried the offense on their back, and the defense stepped up and made crucial plays when it mattered most. Breeland Speaks added three more sacks to his impressive season total, and Kenny Willekes and Terry Wright came up with huge fumble recoveries. 

Finally, with the game on the line, Houston was making one more push for the end zone when they faced a 4th down from Michigan’s 33 yard line. A deep pass from Nolan Henderson looked like it was going to give Houston a first and goal, and one more play to get back the victory, but Nate Hobbs stepped in at the last minute, breaking up the pass and cementing the Panthers’ 5th straight victory.

This weekend, The Panthers have a playoff preview with the Birmingham Stallions in Alabama. That game will air Saturday, June 1 at 12:00 PM EST.

The Roughnecks end their season by traveling to Memphis to take on the Showboats. That game will air on Sunday, June 2 at 7:00 PM EST.