Sports stats



UFL Michigan Panthers

Michigan Panthers Game Notes for Week 1 vs. the St. Louis Battlehawks

March 27, 2024 - United Football League (UFL)
Michigan Panthers News Release


NEW LEAGUE, BETTER OPPORTUNITY

The merger of the XFL and the USFL has created the strongest collection of spring football talent and has been dubbed the United Football League.

The League is divided into two conferences: USFL (Birmingham Stallions, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers) and XFL (Arlington Renegades, D.C. Defenders, San Antonio Brahmas, St. Louis Battlehawks). Each team will play six in-conference games and four inter-conference matchups.

The Conference Championships will pit the top two teams with the best records in their respective conferences against each other

SCOUTING THE 2024 PANTHERS

The Michigan Panthers return the bulk of a team that made the USFL Playoffs in 2023. On offense, quarterback EJ Perry joined the team at the end of last season and is back for another run. But the quarterback room has seen some competition during training camp with the addition of Danny Etling, who has spent the last six years in the NFL on various practice squads. Trey Quinn and Cole Hikutini return as two of the top receivers from 2023. Quinn finished second on the team with 439 receiving yards while Hikutini led the team with five touchdowns. The receiver room has been bolstered by the additions of Devin Gray, who caught 50 passes for 502 yards last year for the Philadelphia Stars, and Jordan Suell, who caught 48 passes for 500 yards over the last two seasons for the Stars. The running back room has completely turned over for the Panthers, but the team added some talent through the USFL dispersal draft, picking up All-USFL honoree Wes Hills, who led the league in rushing last year with 680 yards and 10 touchdowns with the New Orleans Breakers. The team also added Matt Colburn II, who led all running backs with the Stars during the 2023 season. The third running back is Michigan native Nate McCrary, who has been in the NFL on various practice squads and is entering his first year in the spring. Another addition on offense is offensive coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille, who joins the team after leading the offense and overseeing the receivers the last two years for the Philadelphia Stars. The Stars finished the season with one of the most potent offenses in the USFL. On defense, the team will be anchored by some familiar faces such as All-USFL selections Breeland Speaks on the defensive line and Frank Ginda at linebacker. Ginda was named the USFL Defensive Player of the Year after turning 104 total tackles and also led the Panthers with three interceptions.

Speaks finished with a league-best 9.0 sacks to go with his 53 total tackles. Corrion Ballard and Kai Nacua return as well to anchor the Panthers' secondary. Some new faces to be on the lookout for include defensive lineman Kenny Willekes, who left as the all-time leader in tackles for loss at Michigan State in 2019, linebacker Javin White looks to get his first taste of spring football after playing spending time on multiple NFL practice squads and Bryce Torneden, who was an All-USFL selection in 2022 with the Pittsburgh Maulers, will look to impact the secondary. Collin Bauer returns for his second season on the defensive staff, overseeing the defensive line, but defensive coordinator duties have been added to his responsibilities for the 2024 season.

ALL GAMES NATIONALLY TELEVISED

This season, all 43 games (40 regular season games, two playoffs, one championship) will be featured on a combination of ABC, FOX, ESPN, ESPN2 and FS1. Games on ESPN and ABC will be streamed on ESPN+ and FOX games will stream on the FOX Sports App. 72% of all UFL games will air on broadcast television (ABC or FOX): ABC (10), FOX (21), ESPN (10), ESPN2 (1) and FS1 (1). Michigan will appear on FOX six times this season, ESPN three times and on ABC once.

This week's Michigan game will air on FOX with the announcing team of Kevin Kugler (play-by- play), Devin Gardner (analyst), Jake Butt (sideline reporter) and Mike Pereira (rules). The entire Week 1 schedule is listed below:

Saturday, March 30 - Birmingham Stallions @ Arlington Renegades at 1 p.m. ET on FOX

Saturday, March 30 - St. Louis Battlehawks @ Michigan Panthers at 4 p.m. ET on FOX

Sunday, March 31 - DC Defenders @ San Antonio Brahmas at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN

Sunday, March 31 - Memphis Showboats @ Houston Roughnecks at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN

LOOKING BACK AT THE PANTHERS

The Michigan Panthers finished the 2023 USFL season with a 4-6 record in Mike Nolan's first year as head coach. In a three-way tie for first place in the North Division, the Panthers clinched a playoff berth with their 3-3 division record tiebreaker. The Panthers faced the Pittsburgh Maulers in the North Division Championship at Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, but fell 31-27 in overtime. The Panthers were led all season by their stout defense, which was anchored by All- USFL Team selections Breeland Speaks and Frank Ginda. Ginda also took home Defensive Player of the Year. Both players return to the Panthers in 2024.

LOOKING BACK AT THE BATTLEHAWKS

The St. Louis Battlehawks finished the 2023 XFL season with a 7-3 record in Anthony Becht's first year as head coach. In a competitive North Division, the Battlehawks missed the playoffs in favor of the 7-3 Seattle Sea Dragons due to a fifth tiebreaker scenario. The Battlehawks set the XFL record for most points scored in a game (53). The team earned five All-XFL Team selections: WR Hakeem Butler, OT Jayrd Jones-Smith, OG Steven Gonzalez, C Mike Panasiuk, DB Lavert Hill, and KR/PR and Special Teams Player of the Year Darrius Shepherd. St. Louis was quarterbacked by A.J. McCarron, who led the XFL in touchdown passes last season (25).

CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE

The Michigan Panthers, as every team in the UFL this season, will play 10 regular season games during the 2024 regular season. The Panthers will play six games against USFL division foes - Birmingham, Houston and Memphis (one home, one road) - and four games against XFL division opponents - vs. Arlington, at D.C., at San Antonio and vs. St. Louis. Below are some notes regarding the schedule:

- Michigan will play in the second game on opening weekend against the St. Louis Battlehawks on March 30

- The Panthers will open the season with three straight home games at Ford Field

- Michigan will be road warriors to end the season, finishing the 2024 regular season with three of their final four games coming on the road

UNDER ARMOUR THREADS

Under Armour is the exclusive provider of all on-field uniforms, including jerseys, base layer, sideline and training apparel, for all XFL teams. The unique home and away sets are designed with an authentic execution of the individual team identities. The design process was a collaboration between XFL ownership, marketing, and Under Armour teams.

Each jersey features a "Blood, Sweat, Respect" mantra - a personal message from ownership to players, which is sublimated on the interior collars of all team uniforms. Additional design details include embroidered team wordmarks and branding at the base of the neckline, UA's ArmourGrid nameplates with twill lettering, and all uniforms are branded with XFL, Under Armour, and Project Rock Brahma Bull patches.

HISTORY OF THE MICHIGAN PANTHERS

The history of the Michigan Panthers goes back to the 1980s when the team was a charter member of the original United States Football League. Jim Stanley would serve as the team's head coach for the two years they were in Detroit. In their opening season, the Panthers won their first game, a 9-7 win over the Birmingham Stallions, but then dropped their next four games. Michigan then rattled off six straight games before falling to Birmingham. They finished the regular season with a 12-6 record and hosted the Oakland Invaders in the playoffs. The team advanced to the inaugural USFL Championship game following a 37-21 victory over Oakland. Michigan would win the USFL's first championship with a 24-22 win over the Philadelphia Stars after quarterback Bobby Herbert found receiver Anthony Carter for a 48-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The team picked up in 1984 where they left off in 1983, winning their first straight games, but following an injury to Carter, the Panthers dropped eight of their next 10 games. Michigan qualified for the playoffs after winning their last two games of the year. In the first round of the playoffs, the Panthers were on the losing end of the longest professional football game, falling 27-21 to the Los Angeles Express.

It ended up being the last game for the Panthers for over 30 years as they merged with the Oakland Invaders. The current iteration of the team began play in 2022 with Jeff Fisher as its head coach and general manager. The team dropped their first two games of the season, falling to the Houston Gamblers and New Jersey Generals, but was able to shut out the Pittsburgh Maulers in their third game of the year. The team would go on to drop six of its last seven games, winning its final game against Pittsburgh, to finish the season with a record of 2-8. Ahead of the 2023 season, Jeff Fisher stepped down as head coach and general manager and Mike Nolan was named the Panthers head coach. The team started the season 2-0 after defeating the Houston Gamblers and Philadelphia Stars. Michigan then dropped four straight games, all by 14 points or more. The Panthers stopped the skid with a three point win over the New Jersey Generals, but followed that up with two more losses. Needing a win to qualify for the playoffs, Michigan defeated the Stars 23-20 to finish the season 4-6 and earned a playoff berth by having a 3-3 divisional record. The Panthers would face the Pittsburgh Maulers in the division finals, but lost in overtime 31-27.

UFL RULES

The United Football League (UFL) will continue to build on the innovation of both the XFL and USFL with its rules for the 2024 season.. The UFL has adopted a number of innovative rules from both previous leagues to deliver an exciting, fast-paced game with plenty of action.

Points After Touchdown

Teams will have three scrimmage play options following a touchdown.

2-yard line = 1 point for a successful try

5-yard line = 2 points for a successful try

10-yard line = 3 points for a successful try

Kickoffs

Kickoffs will look like more traditional, but will take place from the 20-yard line of the kicking team. A kickoff out of bounds will give possession to the receiving team 30 yards from the spot of the kickoff or at the spot where the ball went out of bounds. A kickoff that is untouched by the receiving team may only be recovered by the kicking team up to 20 yards from the spot of the kick.

Alternate Possession Option

While onside kicks are allowed at any time during the game, teams will have an alternate option to retain possession in the fourth quarter. If a team is tied or behind during the fourth quarter, it may elect to retain possession after a score with a 4th-and-12 from its own 28-yard line.

Two Forward Passes

Teams will be allowed, as they were in both leagues last season, to throw two forward passes on one play. The ball cannot cross the line of scrimmage at any time prior to the second forward pass being thrown.

Replay Reviews

The officiating department may stop a game at any time before the ball is next legally put in play to review a play if there is reasonable evidence to believe an error was made and it would have a direct, competitive impact on the game. Any call or non-call related to player safety is also subject to review at any point, as well as any officiating ruling in the last five minutes of the or overtime that is obviously incorrect and will have a significant impact on the outcome.

Coach Challenges

Each coach may challenge any ruling, including fouls or potential fouls, one time per game, provided the team has a timeout. A successful challenge will not result in a loss of a timeout, while the timeout is lost if the challenge fails.

Check out the Michigan Panthers Statistics



United Football League Stories from March 27, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central