PANTHERS WEEK 4: WE'RE THE CAPTAINS NOW

On Saturday, April 18th, The Michigan Panthers completed their season sweep against the Memphis Showboats, winning 27-9. Despite the score, the game was incredibly close until a crucial interception in the fourth quarter turned everything around.

 

Things looked bleak for the Panthers to start. After an impressive 3 and out for the defense, the offense sputtered and had to punt the ball back. However, a disastrous snap forced P Seth Vernon to try to scramble and punt the ball away, but it was blocked and just like that, the Showboats had the ball at the Panthers 20.

 

Following a defensive pass interference, Memphis was able to punch the ball in for the first score of the game. The 2 point conversion attempt was no good and the score stood at 6-0 Showboats. 

 

Things went from bad to worse when KR Devin Ross fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Fortunately, Michigan was able to fall on the ball. Despite recovering the fumble, Michigan’s early offensive struggles continued and they once again had to punt the ball away. 

 

For as bad as the offense looked for most of the first quarter, the defense was amazing. DE Kenny Willekes had a tackle for a loss and a pass deflected, and is quickly becoming a candidate for DPOY. In fact, the defense was so stout, that the Showboats offense averaged 0 yards per play in the first quarter. That is not a typo. 

 

Near the end of the first quarter, the Panthers offense finally started gaining momentum, led mostly by the running efforts of Nate McCrary and Toa Taua, and Bryce Perkins’ scrambling ability. Toa Taua was able to break a 13 yard run and record his first touchdown of the UFL season. 

 

Taua was a recent addition to the team, coming on to fill in for Matthew Colburn who is still on IR. Prior to the Panthers signing him, Taua was working at a golf course to pay bills and keep the dream alive. Stories like this are why the UFL is so crucial. Every player and coach’s goal is to get back to the NFL. That’s nearly impossible without having new game footage to show scouts.

 

Taua then converted the one point conversion to give Michigan a slim 7-6 lead after the first quarter. 

 

The defense for the Panthers continued to shut Memphis down at every turn. Perkins continued to scramble well and then began getting into a nice rhythm with WR Malik Turner. Turner has seen a significant increase in his role following the controversial trade of Marcus Simms to Houston for OT Cam Carter. In the two games since that trade, Cam Carter has yet to be active.

 

Following the completion to Turner, Nate McCrary broke a tackle and got into the end zone on a beautiful 19 yard run for Michigan’s second rushing touchdown of the game. Perkins found WR Samson Nacua in the end zone for the one point conversion and Michigan had a 14-6 lead with only 41 seconds left. 

 

Former Panther QB EJ Perry finally got into a rhythm, hitting big bodied TE Chris Pierce once, and back to back completions to breakout star WR Jonathan Adams. The Showboats were able to hit a 52 yard field goal. Going into the half, Michigan led 14-9.  

 

For most of the 3rd quarter, the Panthers shifted their game plan, throwing with a lot more frequency than in the first half. It wasn’t very successful, but HC Mike Nolan explained the strategy, “In order to win the game, I felt we needed to lean just a little bit more into the passing game. Some of them were overthrows, but just letting the other team know that you’re willing to go down the field forces their defensive coordinator to make different calls.”

 

He added, “I think we had a good mix. We have more of a running personality [compared to the rest of the UFL], but we understand that if we don't throw the ball downfield, it's going to be hard for us to win consistently. It's something that we’ll continue to work on.”

 

In the third quarter, the Showboats were threatening to regain the lead as they found themselves in the red zone. However, an incredible defensive effort by Adonis Alexander and Arnold Tarpley led to Tarpley coming up with a huge interception and ending Memphis’ drive close to the end zone. 

 

The passing efforts finally paid off for Michigan when Perkins was able to connect on a beautiful deep pass to WR Siaosi Mariner, putting the Panthers at their opponents 27 yard line. On the very next play, Perkins found WR Jaylon Moore near the sidelines. Moore was able to turn upfield and get into the end zone. The Panthers converted another 1 point attempt, this time with McCrary, and the lead extended to 21-9. 

 

Memphis continued to move the ball well and found themselves with a 4th and 1 from the Panthers 36 yard line. Instead of attempting a 53 yard field goal, which would have brought the game to within one score, Showboats interim HC Jim Turner decided to run for it. Much as they’d done all game, the Panthers defense shut down the run, regaining possession. 

 

Nearing the end of the game, the Memphis defensive line was completely gassed. They were down two defensive linemen, and it showed. The offensive line of the Panthers completely dominated them and the running game became unstoppable. With the Showboats selling out for the run, the Panthers put the game away when Perkins hit TE Jalen Wydermyer for a 13 yard touchdown. The 1 point conversion was no good, but it didn’t matter as the Panthers were able to secure the win, 27-9. 

 

Final thoughts: While Memphis is trying to figure out an identity amid a lot of uncertainty (HC Ken Whisenhunt had to leave the team for personal reasons), The Panthers seem to know exactly who they are. They have a dominant defensive front and an offense that plays pretty clean ball. They’re going to need to rely on that great defense and mental toughness as they enter a brutal stretch of games, before the schedule finally lets up again for them at the end of the year. If the Panthers can play good ball through the St. Louis - DC - Arlington portion of their schedule, they have a great chance of getting to the playoffs and finally getting the albatross that is Birmingham off of their back.  

 

The Panthers (3-1) will hit the road to take on the St. Louis Battlehawks (2-1) at the Dome at America’s Center in Week 5. Kick off is set for Saturday at 8 PM ET on ESPN. The Showboats (0-4) will continue their road series and take on the Birmingham Stallions (2-1), kickoff scheduled for 8 PM ET on Friday.