USFL Title Hopes End In Thrilling OT Loss For Michigan Panthers

(CTN News) – The Michigan Panthers’ USFL third attempt did not succeed as the first two, but it was still a thrilling game.

In the North Division championship game on Saturday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, the Panthers’ hopes for a USFL championship were doused by a 31-27 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Maulers, ending the Panthers’ championship bid in the U.S. Football League.

In addition to playing for the USFL title next Saturday, in Canton, the Maulers will also be playing one of two opponents in the USFL championship game.

At the same time, Michigan was in pursuit of its first USFL title since the previous version of the Panthers won a championship in the original USFL in 1983, when the team was still known as the Panthers.

After two regular-season losses by a combined score of 42-14, the Panthers were hoping, for the first time, to beat the Maulers for the first time this season.

As a result of the tight meeting, Michigan kicker Cole Murphy converted a 47-yard field goal with four seconds remaining to force overtime. Pittsburgh then converted a pair of 2-point conversions to secure their spot in the title game.

The game was a back-and-forth affair, with five lead changes over the course of the game. With 6:48 left in the opening quarter, Murphy gave the Panthers an early 3-0 lead, and the Panthers went on to take a 17-10 lead into the fourth quarter following E.J. Simms’ 72-yard touchdown pass to Perry with 4:11 left in the third quarter gave the Panthers a 17-10 lead.

Perry connected with Trey Quinn for a 55-yard touchdown pass with 2:12 remaining in regulation to give the Panthers a 24-20 lead, but the Maulers answered with a touchdown drive of their own before Murphy forced overtime.

A 23-for-38 completion rate by Perry resulted in 370 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception thrown into the mix. A total of five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown were made by Quinn, while three catches for 87 yards and a touchdown were made by Simms.

Despite the Panthers carrying the ball 15 times, the Maulers were only able to run for 40 yards.

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