Both Michigan and Memphis are coming into this game off of a loss, or losses in the case of the Showboats. In Week 4, the Panthers fell to the San Antonio Brahmas 19-9, and the Showboats lost 32-17 to the St. Louis Battlehawks to extend their winless streak to three games. One of these losing streaks will end. Additionally, the Panthers have a 0-1 record on the road and Memphis has a 0-1 record at home, indicating the possibility of breaking or extending other streaks.
The winner of this game will own the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two teams as well as an edge in the USFL Conference standings at the midpoint of the season.
Memphis head coach John DeFilippo is 1-0 against the Panthers as a head coach, leading the New Orleans Breakers to a 24-20 win over Michigan in Week 8 last season.
What do we know?
Last week against the San Antonio Brahmas, it was too little, too late for the Panthers, as they fell 19-9. Michigan fell to a 2-2 record but remained second in the USFL Conference. The Panthers were behind for most of the first half, falling behind the Brahmas 16-0 to open the game.
Panthers quarterback E.J. Perry left the game near the end of the third quarter with a non-contact injury, and it has now been confirmed that Perry is on the injured reserve list for the remainder of the season. This week the Panthers will start Danny Etling, who filled in for Perry in the San Antonio game, completing 11-of-14 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown after Perry’s injury.
On April 24, the Michigan Panthers confirmed they had signed quarterback Bryce Perkins to fill their roster. Perkins played college football at Arizona State, Arizona Western, and Virginia before signing with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
The Panthers tightened things up in the second half of the game, only allowing the Brahmas to score three points, tying the record for the fewest points allowed by the team in a half this season, which they have now done three times in four games (vs. St. Louis in the first half, vs. Birmingham in the second half, and at San Antonio in the second half).
Marcus Simms, a wide receiver, recorded his third 40+ yard touchdown of the season and has scored in three straight games for Michigan. Safety Kai Nacua recorded his second interception in as many games for the Panthers and leads the team with two interceptions on the season. After not allowing a sack against Houston, Michigan allowed six sacks against San Antonio, the second most allowed by the team this year.
Kicker Jake Bates stayed perfect on the season, 6-for-6, connecting on his only attempt against San Antonio from 49 yards.
In week four, the Memphis Showboats lost to the St. Louis Battlehawks, who scored 12 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 32-17 victory. Memphis came out of the tunnel with vigor, establishing an early lead, but then withstood and fought back from a first-quarter St. Louis barrage. But the Battlehawks put the game away in the fourth quarter. It was another disappointing outing for the Showboats.
St. Louis did open the scoring with a field goal. But Memphis grabbed a 6-3 lead when Vinny Papale hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Case Cookus with 8:46 left in the first. The Battlehawks responded to grab a 17-6 lead at the end of one quarter. Memphis absorbed the blow and fought back when Darius Victor busted into the end zone from 2 yards away. A 2-point conversion pass pulled the Showboats back within three, and then a Quenton Meeks interception set Memphis up for a Matt Coghlin field goal and a 17-17 tie. After that, the Showboats’ efforts shrank, and they did not score another point.
In their week 4 game, Case Cookus completed 8 passes on 12 attempts for 55 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Troy Williams was brought in as relief for a beleaguered Cookus, and he threw 4 completions on 9 passes for 37 yards. Memphis appears to be shaking things up for this game, and they have published a depth chart that shows quarterback Troy Williams starting over Case Cookus. Cookus had limited participation in practices this week and may still be shaking off the effects of the week four game.
Wide receiver Vinny Papale has been nursing a shoulder injury and was also limited in practice early this week. Papale has scored three touchdowns this season, and the Showboats are probably anxious for him to show up and play healthy.
What should we expect?
Memphis is better than their record, but they recognize the fact that they tend to let up on their opponents in the second half of games. According to head coach DeFilippo, they have been working on this aspect of their game. If they can sort out their second-half dilemma and put together four strong quarters of football, you might see them notch the win column this week.
When comparing their performances statistically, these are two relatively evenly matched teams, with Michigan maintaining an edge over Memphis. For example, Michigan is the No. 5 offense in the UFL, while Memphis currently ranks No. 8 in the eight-team league. The Panthers are No. 5 in total defense, while Memphis checks in at No. 7.
On the other hand, Memphis has a home field advantage, which may work to buoy their efforts to get back into the win column.
For the Panthers, quarterback Danny Etling has a good chance to show his mettle. Will he accept this opportunity and put up the numbers we are all sure he desires? Strictly speaking, this game is truly a matchup of many factions who want to do better. Who will take advantage of this opportunity?
Oddsmakers have the Memphis Showboats as slight favorites to win this game. But what do they know? This one could go either way.
