PANTHERS STILL CAN'T WRANGLE THE STALLIONS

The Michigan Panthers once again came up short against perennial spring league champs, the Birmingham Stallions. The final score was 21-12, but the game was never actually that close.

 

10,049 fans showed up to Ford Field thinking maybe today would be the day the Panthers could finally get over the gigantic speed bump that is the Stallions. After all, Michigan was coming off of a road victory against Memphis, and Birmingham was coming off of an upset loss to the DC Defenders. That, coupled with the fact that it was a short week and the Stallions would once again be in unfriendly confines, gave a lot of Panthers fans hope that this was the perfect formula to defeat a team who has become a real thorn in their sides. 

 

Things got off to a great start, as the Panthers were able to knock out starting QB Alex Mcgough on the very first play. McGough even fumbled the ball, but it took a fortuitous bounce and ended up remaining with the Stallions. This first play would be a perfect encapsulation of how the rest of the game would go. 

 

HC Skip Holtz turned to backup QB Matt Corral for the rest of the game. A 27 yard run by Ricky Person Jr. and a 12 yard strike to Deon Cain got the Stallions into field goal position and they nailed it. 3-0 Birmingham.

 

The Panthers first drive showed some life, as they were able to get to midfield before running out of gas and eventually punting, pinning the Stallions inside of their own 20. The defense for both teams were determined to not let the opposing offenses get into any kind of rhythm. Another Stallions fumble gave the Panthers a quick spark of hope, but that was quickly snuffed out when Birmingham was able to recover once again. 

 

CB DJ Miller then came up with his first of two interceptions on the day as Birmingham was threatening to score. Unfortunately Michigan couldn’t do anything with the opportunity and punted the ball away, yet again. 

 

With 35 seconds to go in the first half, Birmingham was knocking at the door of the end zone, but the Panthers defense once again held up and forced a short field goal. The Panthers headed into halftime down 6-0, but given how inept their offense was for the first half, and receiving the ball to begin the second half, there was still a lot of hope that this game could quickly be turned around. 

 

A wet blanket was thrown over that hope immediately, as Panthers QB Bryce Perkins threw an interception on the Panther’s opening drive. With a short field, the Stallions offense was finally able to break the plane and put up the first touchdown of the game. The 2 point conversion was no good, and the Stallions now held a 12-0 lead. 

 

The Panthers then put together their best drive of the game, as they turned to their running backs to get the offense going, and that they did. The RB duo of Nate McCreary and Matthew Colburn drove the length of the field and got the Panthers into a first and goal situation from the Stallions two yard line. However, four straight rushes up the gut did not fool the Stallions defensive line, who had gotten the better of the Panthers offensive line all game. Michigan turned the ball over on downs.

 

Heading into the 4th quarter, the Stallions faced a 3rd and 10 near midfield. Praying this would be the beginning of a great comeback, the fans held their breath as Matt Corral threw a perfect ball into the outstretched arms of Deon Cain to extend the Stallions lead to 18-0. 

 

However, the fourth quarter is when the magic happens. Teams have nothing to lose and start to get desperate. Desperation is a stinky cologne, and Michigan was wearing pretty much the entire bottle at this point. They continued to run the ball and finally hit a big strike in the passing game, as Perkins connected with WR Siaosi Mariner for 24 yards. A few plays later Michigan got on the board when Perkins connected with WR Marcus Simms for a 9 yard touchdown. The beauty of the UFL was on full display as Michigan then attempted and successfully executed a 3 point conversion! Just like that, it was suddenly a one score game, 18-9. 

 

The fans (at least, the ones who hadn't already left after that 52 yard Birmingham TD) then started to really get excited as DJ Miller came down with his second interception of the game. Suddenly Michigan had the ball at midfield with about 7 minutes to go. 

 

A questionable call was made by HC Mike Nolan when he decided to punt on a 4th and 3 instead of going for it. The fans let him know what they thought of his decision as a sea of boos filled the stadium. 

 

However it seemed like Nolan made the right call as the defense forced a 3 and out, and it looked like the Panthers were going to be set up perfectly for some late game heroics. Unfortunately, Devin Ross muffed the punt and the ball once again bounced perfectly into Birmingham’s arms. The Stallions kicked another field goal, essentially icing the game 21-9.

 

Michigan made one last shot at the comeback when they kicked a field goal with 30 seconds to go, closing the gap to 21-12. Unfortunately they were not able to convert the 4th and 12 “alternative kickoff” and the game was over. 

 

After the game, both coaches expressed frustration with how their teams played. Skip Holtz was furious with his team over their multiple procedural penalties, and Mike Nolan lamented the fact that they were dominated in the trenches, and were unable able to make any explosive plays until it was pretty much too late. DJ Miller talked about using excellent technique when covering guys significantly taller than him, in order to neutralize their height advantage, and Bryce Perkins wanted to let the fans know that this was a learning lesson. All of the Panthers acknowledged that this was the worst game the team has played in 13 games of the UFL’s short history. 

 

The Panthers (1-1) will face the San Antonio Brahmas (0-1) at Ford Field in week 3. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 12 PM EST on ABC. The Stallions (1-1) will host their home opener next Friday against the Arlington Renegades (1-0), kickoff scheduled for 8 PM EST on FOX.