Michigan Panthers USFL Betting
It was a somewhat successful return to coaching for Michigan Panthers HC Mike Nolan. The former San Francisco 49ers head man put his team in the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. However, while an instant classic, the playoff game was a heartbreaker. Last week, in a playoff game for the ages, the Pittsburgh Maulers secured their first-ever ticket to the USFL championship game. The Maulers triumphed over the Michigan Panthers in a tense 31-27 victory on Saturday evening at Tom Benson Memorial Stadium.
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Michigan Panthers 2023 Season Overview and Week 10 Recap
Last week the Pittsburgh Maulers beat the Michigan Panthers 31-27 as 3-point favorites in the USFL North Division championship game playoff. The game went over the total of 36.5. In the regular season, Michigan had a record of 4-6, good for 2nd place in the USFL North Division. Michigan has USFL metrics of 6th for offensive yardage, 6th for rushing yardage, 4th for passing yardage, and 8th for scoring offense. On defense, Michigan ranks 5th for total yards allowed, 6th for rushing yards allowed, 5th for passing yards allowed, and 6th for points permitted.
In what was expected to be a defensive battle for the USFL North division title, the offenses took over in the second half, with Pittsburgh quarterback Troy Williams willing his team to victory by helping Pittsburgh’s offense execute in crunch time.
The Utah product finished 23-of-40 for 203 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a team-high 36 yards, helping the Maulers get to the precipice of going from worst to first in one season. The Maulers face the winner of Sunday's South Division Championship between the Birmingham Stallions and the New Orleans Breakers next week in Canton.
While the two offenses sputtered in the first half, they combined for 31 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. The back-and-forth affair had six lead changes.
With the USFL’s No.1-ranked defense, Pittsburgh appeared to be in a good position to close out the game after kicker Chris Blewitt drilled a league-best 59-yard field goal to give the Maulers a 20-17 advantage with 3:16 left in regulation.
However, the Panthers retook the lead when recently anointed starting quarterback E.J. Perry threw a 55-yard TD to Trey Quinn on a go route. The play was initially called back because of a face mask call on offensive tackle Josh Dunlop. The replay reversed the call, however, and Michigan grabbed a 24-20 lead with 2:04 left.
But that lead did not last long, as Williams drove the Maulers 51 yards on eight plays. The key play came on fourth-and-goal from Michigan’s 7-yard line when Williams found Ishmael Hyman on a perfectly thrown ball on a skinny post for the go-ahead score and a 27-24 lead with 39 seconds left.
Williams said the Maulers ran the same play to score a touchdown during a two-minute drill at practice this week.
Once again, though, Perry proved up to the task, driving the Panthers 38 yards on seven plays to set up a Cole Murphy 47-yard field goal to send the game into overtime — the first one in the USFL this season.
Perry and the Panthers started slow, scoring just three points and turning it over three times in the first half. But the Brown product heated up in the second, as he finished 23-of-38 passing for 370 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception.
Even with Michigan gaining momentum heading into overtime, the Maulers kept their composure. Williams converted the first try from 2 yards out when he found tight end Mason Stokke over the middle on a play-action pass.
Pittsburgh’s defense forced Michigan running back Stevie Scott to fumble at the goal line. Quinn recovered the ball in the end zone, but in overtime, a ball recovered by the offense in the end zone reverted to where the ball was fumbled, so the try was no good.
Williams took matters into his own hands on the second try, running in for a score. And then Pittsburgh’s defense stepped up, with defensive tackle Olive Sagapolu swatting down Perry’s attempt to end the game, with the Maulers rushing the field.
Tezino led the Maulers with nine tackles and a fumble recovery, while Panthers linebacker Frank Ginda was all over the field, totaling 11 combined tackles and a sack.
Quinn finished with five catches for 104 yards for Michigan, while Pittsburgh’s Isiah Hennie hauled in six catches for 83 yards.
2023 Michigan Panthers Season Schedule
| WEEK |
MATCHUP |
RESULT |
RECORD |
| April 16 |
@ Houston Gamblers |
W 29-13 |
1-0 |
| April 23 |
@ Philadelphia Stars |
W 24-10 |
2-0 |
| April 30 |
vs. New Jersey Generals |
L 13-28 |
2-1 |
| May 6 |
vs. Memphis Showboats |
L 10-29 |
2-2 |
| May 13 |
vs. Pittsburgh Maulers |
L 7-23 |
2-3 |
| May 20 |
vs. Birmingham Stallions |
L 13-27 |
2-4 |
| May 28 |
@ New Jersey Generals |
W 25-22 |
3-4 |
| June 4 |
@ New Orleans Breakers |
L 20-24 |
3-5 |
| June 10 |
@ Pittsburgh Maulers |
L 7-19 |
3-6 |
| June 18 |
vs. Philadelphia Stars |
W 23-20 |
4-6 |
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