With a chance to win the North Division of the USFL, the Pittsburgh Maulers took on the Michigan Panthers on Saturday night. The two teams’ third matchup of the season ended like the two previous with the Maulers edging out the Panthers, but this time in overtime, 31-27.
The Panthers owned the first offensive possession of the game and they made it a good one. The team manufactured a long, 15-play drive that ate up eight minutes and 15 seconds of the first quarter. The drive’s big play came when Michigan quarterback E.J. Perry found running back Stevie Scott for a 30-yard gain to set the team up at the Pittsburgh five-yard line. The Maulers defense, as it has all season, stepped up, forcing a field goal from Panthers kicker Cole Murphy.
Pittsburgh wouldn’t take as long to score on their drive. A personal foul on Michigan’s defensive star Breeland Speaks put the Maulers on the opposite side of the field, setting up a Chris Blewitt field goal just a few plays later to knot the game at three.
Back-to-back uninspiring drives ensued for both teams as they punted the ball away gaining little to no yardage.
The Panthers followed up their quick, scoreless drive with something even more costly. On the first play of their possession, starting running back Reggie Corbin fumbled the ball and Pittsburgh recovered, giving them great field position early in the second quarter.
Despite still not finding their offensive rhythm, the Maulers once again cashed in on a defensive penalty with Michigan safety Warren Saba committing a neutral zone infraction on a costly fourth-and-goal. Pittsburgh running back Garrett Goushek would make the Panthers pay on the next play, scoring on a two-yard touchdown plunge.
Instead of answering, the Panthers continued to struggle on offense going three-and-out.
The Maulers didn’t do much better on their following drive, running just five plays before punting it back to Michigan.
The Pittsburgh defense continued to show its teeth on the following Panthers drive. After what looked to be the strongest drive from Michigan thus far in the game, the team’s tight end Cole Hikutini fumbled the ball into the hands of All-USFL Team linebacker Kyahva Tezino to set the Maulers offense up with good field possession.
The offensive woes continued for both teams on Pittsburgh’s drive as they were unable to move the ball at all, leading to a punt.
With just over a minute left in the half, the Panthers looked to get some type of momentum going against the stout Maulers defense. Unfortunately for them, that didn’t happen. Instead, another member of the All-USFL Team Arnold Tarpley intercepted Perry for their third turnover of the game.
On the following Pittsburgh drive, quarterback Troy Williams found himself on an important third-and-two with under a minute left in the half. Under pressure, Williams was able to extend the play, finding wide receiver Isiah Hennie for a short pass that he was able to maximize, going for a gain of 41 yards. A chip-shot field goal attempt followed shortly after, but Chris “Blew-Itt” on the kick, which kept the score 10-3 at halftime.
The Maulers took the first crack at offense in the second half. After an early first-down conversion to Hennie, back-to-back fourth-and-short decisions loomed for first-year head coach Ray Horton. After converting the first, the team wasn’t so lucky on the second attempt, giving the ball to the Panthers at their 35-yard line.
Feeding off of the energy from their defense, the Panthers offense was finally able to get on track. Two long passes from Perry to wide receiver Trey Quinn and Hikutini for a total of 43 yards set Michigan up in the red zone with 7:11 left in the third quarter. Perry called his own number on the ensuing play, diving into the end zone for a six-yard score.
The Michigan defense continued to give Pittsburgh fits on their next drive, with a net gain of negative six yards. The team was forced to punt after three plays.
It only took the Panthers one play to make the Maulers pay for their quick drive. A deep 72-yard completion to wide receiver Marcus Simms pushed Michigan in front of Pittsburgh for the first time of the game with the score 17-10.
The score from the Panthers seemed to wake up Pittsburgh as they put together their best drive of the game on their next possession. While it did not feature a highlight play like Simms’s on the previous drive, the Maulers were able to put together a nine play, 5:25 drive that ended in a four-yard rushing touchdown on an end-around from wide receiver Bailey Gaither. The score was then tied at 17 a piece in the fourth quarter.
Pittsburgh’s defense was able to hold the red-hot Panthers offense to a three-and-out on the next drive, giving the ball back with just under 12 minutes left in the game.
After moving the ball to Michigan’s 48-yard line, the Maulers were stopped with a fourth-and-one. Horton once again decided to go for it, but this time it was on a fake punt. It didn’t matter, the result remained the same as the team failed to convert.
The Panthers threatened early on their drive, pushing the ball past the midfield line. However, that was all the Pittsburgh defense would concede, forcing the team to take a long, 53-yard field which Murphy failed to make.
Penalties continued to plague the Panthers on the Maulers drive with Levi Bell committing an early roughing the passer penalty for the team’s eighth flag of the game to give Pittsburgh the ball at midfield. That penalty would prove to be pivotal as Blewitt would kick a 59-yard kick, the longest field goal this season, to give his squad the lead.
The Panthers didn’t blink. On the drive’s second play, Perry threw another beauty, finding Quinn for a 55-yard deep pass to find paydirt. The score was then 24-20 with just over two minutes on the clock as the Maulers took over.
The team would then trade costly penalties that would send Pittsburgh to the Michigan red zone. After two unsuccessful tries and a penalty pushed the Maulers back, Williams showed his poise, delivering a dart with 44 seconds remaining to wide receiver Ishmael Hyman for a go-ahead score.
Once again, Michigan wouldn’t flinch. Trailing by three points, Perry drove his team into field goal range, setting up Murphy for a 47-yard kick to send the game into overtime.
The Maulers got the first attempt in extras and converted with Williams finding Mason Stokke for a two-yard score.
Pittsburgh’s defense would force a fumble on the next play, thus resulting in an unsuccessful attempt for Michigan.
Up one-nothing in overtime conversions, Williams would take it himself running in a conversion of his own for the Maulers.
Another costly penalty forced the Panthers back and Pittsburgh made them pay. A tipped pass by defensive tackle Olive Sagapolu ended the game for the Maulers.
The win means the team has punched their ticket to the USFL Finals next Saturday, July 1st.
