Week nine in the UFL continues in Birmingham this Saturday, as the Stallions take on the Michigan Panthers in an effort to put themselves back in first place in the USFL Division.
Both of these teams have clinched the playoffs, so this is basically a preview of what we can expect in a couple of weeks. The Stallions have been beaten and battered at QB all year long, but have still won five games, with a 5-3 record.
Meanwhile, the Michigan Panthers have rode the coattails of Bryce Perkins all season long, with a 6-2 record – clinching the playoffs last week with a win over Houston on the road.
Let’s take a closer look at what we can expect ahead of this matchup, as both of these teams aren’t likely to flash all of their cards in a meaningless game.
Quarterback Play
For the Michigan Panthers, they’ll see Danny Etling trot out onto the field as their starter once again. Etling stepped in last week, as Bryce Perkins was nursing an ankle injury. Perkins aggravated it during practice this week, so Etling will roll as QB1 for the second straight week. Danny’s had his ups and downs in the UFL, but was outstanding against Houston last Saturday. He threw for three touchdowns, controlling the tempo of the game through the air and on the ground.
Don’t be surprised if Rocky Lombardi takes some snaps in this one, as Mike Nolan wants to see him get some reps before the season ends. Lombardi has been QB3 all year, but will be QB2 with Perkins inactive entirely. The former Northern Illinois standout has been spoken highly of by Nolan and Michigan’s staff all year.
On Birmingham’s side, J’Mar Smith will remain the starter as they continue to figure out how to sort through their quarterback room moving forward. With his three touchdown performance last week, Smith flashed quite a bit of life for the Stallions – but left some to be desired on the table. His pick six to Callahan O’Reilly was a crushing mistake in the fourth quarter.
That said, Smith’s impressed over the last two weeks, especially considering that he’s been out of football for so long. With more reps, the game will come back to him. He’s missed a couple of easy reads the last two weeks, but those growing pains are to be expected. With Michigan thin at DB, expect J’Mar to try and push the ball down the field like he did against St. Louis.
Standout Playmakers
Deon Cain has emerged as one of the UFL’s top receivers once again this year, which is no surprise given his success the past two seasons. He’s known to have big games against the Michigan Panthers, and is coming off of a two touchdown performance against the Battlehawks. Look for Cain to once again be a go-to target for J’Mar Smith.
Jace Sternberger is another playmaker who’s been known to give Michigan problems on defense. He’s quietly risen up the ranks this year with a couple of touchdowns the last few weeks, and with the Panthers’ injuries at linebacker, is primed for another big performance.
This Panthers WR room is stacked with talent. Losing Marcus Simms hasn’t slowed down this unit at all. Siaosi Mariner, Malik Turner, Jaylon Moore, Devin Ross – they’ve got legit wideouts who can get open on just about anyone. Mariner had a couple of long touchdown receptions vs. this defense a year ago, so we’ll see if he can get going this weekend in Birmingham again.
Finally, not many stories have been better this year than Toa Taua, who was brought back to Michigan’s backfield following an injury to Matt Colburn early in the season. Taua continues to produce at a high level each and every week, largely due to the excellent offensive line play that the Panthers feature. After Jacob Saylors rushed for 118 yards last week against this Stallions defensive front, and the injuries to Birmingham’s D-Line, Toa should be in a position for another impressive day.
Depth Chart
There are quite a few notes from this week’s depth chart:
- Michigan is still missing RB Matt Colburn who is ramping up from IR
- OG Cohl Cabral inactive, Victor Curne gets the start for MICH
- DE Breeland Speaks is back from IR, will be a backup as he ramps up his return
- LB R.J. Moten to make his Panthers debut, with James Neal inactive
For the Birmingham Stallions, they also have some changes:
- RB Ricky Person Jr. is inactive, Larry Rountree III steps back up
- OT Alex Taylor is out with injury, Barry Wesley moves to LT like he did vs. STL
- DE Bradlee Anae is also down due to injury, Delontae Scott takes his starting position
- CB Nevelle Clarke, re-signed this week, is active already
The Stallions have also seen a change at long snapper. William Mote, who replaced Ryan Langan, is inactive with injury. On Michigan’s side of things, they’re a bit thin at DB – and are also rolling with just two tight ends, meaning we won’t see any of Marcel Bellefeuille’s signature 13-personnel that’s been featured in the back half of this UFL season.
Prolific Ground Games
Both the Birmingham Stallions and Michigan Panthers have been two of the best rushing teams in the UFL this season. Michigan is 2nd in the league averaging 128 rushing yards a game, while the Stallions are in 3rd place, at 109 yards per game.
Where the teams differ a bit, is rushing scores. Because of Bryce Perkins and what he brings to the table, Michigan is T-1st in the UFL with 13 rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Stallions are tied for last in the league, with just five.
What makes this matchup so interesting is that Michigan and Birmingham are the two top rush defenses in the UFL. Michigan is in first place, allowing 86.3 yards per game. The Stallions are a close second, at 90.5 yards per game. The Panthers, in particular, have impressed across the board, allowing just 3.6 YPC and four rushing scores all year long.
Considering both of these teams like to lean into the run, this will be a critical piece to the game this weekend. With both quarterbacks still trying to find their footing as newly-named starters, establishing the run will be important for Michigan and Birmingham. Whoever gets the edge in this category will likely win the game, and potentially the division.
Looking At Week Two
In week two, things were quite a bit different – especially for the Stallions. Alex McGough was their starting quarterback, but he went down with an injury right away. Matt Corral stepped in, and after a rough start, settled in and ultimately led the Stallions to a win.
It was a game where it felt like Michigan beat themselves, in a way. Bryce Perkins was missing easy reads early on, the team failed to punch it in at the goal-line four straight plays, and then the team decided to punt late in the fourth quarter while close to midfield. Birmingham’s defense also wreaked havoc, putting pressure on Bryce early and often. Even with the offensive miscues, the Stallions were able to pull away due to that unit playing at such a high level.
Michigan’s Struggles vs. BHAM
The last few seasons, Birmingham has always had Michigan’s number. They’re now 6-0 against the Panthers all-time in the modern era, finding ways to win even when the odds were stacked against them. Last year’s playoff matchup was a prime example of exactly that, as they rallied from down 18-3, scoring 28 unanswered points to punch their ticket to the UFL Championship game.
Michigan has to find a way to stay out of penalty trouble. It’s hurt them in the past against the Stallions, and they’ve had some issues with that in general this year. For example, they had eight defensive penalties against Arlington a couple of weeks ago – which nearly cost them the game.
Coaching Matchup
Michigan Panthers | Mike Nolan: The former UFL Coach of the Year has had another successful season, putting the Panthers into the playoffs for the third straight year. That said, he has yet to defeat Skip Holtz, with an 0-5 record in the UFL dating back to 2023. He’s had his chances, and now is the time for Mike to try and get one back against Skip to seal the division for Michigan.
Birmingham Stallions | Skip Holtz: Holtz has had it rough this year with his quarterbacks, winning games with five different signal callers. It hasn’t been a pretty season for Birmingham by any means, but they are back in the playoffs. With all of the success this team has had against Michigan in times past, don’t be shocked if they get right back on track this weekend.
Panthers Coach Mike Nolan provided us with some of his thoughts on Birmingham as a team, and this upcoming affair:
“They’re extremely well coached. I think Skip Holtz does a great job, I watch him on TV calling these games. He’s a very intelligent coach. Their defensive coordinator I know, we actually coached the HULA Bowl together this year down in Orlando. Their coordinators do an outstanding job in all three phases of the game, so they not only have good players, they’re well coached. That’s why they’ve been so successful. It’ll be quite the battle, I think. It’s a fun game to be a part of, going against the very best of coaches and players is always a thrill for everyone.”
Final Thoughts
The sad thing is that these teams don’t have a lot to play for, outside of a couple of home field perks. For the Stallions they’ll have their home fans in attendance either way, as the game has already been set to be played in Birmingham, despite the Panthers having the chance to win the #1 seed.
https://twitter.com/JamesLarsenPFN/status/1924548126754394272
Mike Nolan is playing for those home perks, though. Most notably, he wants to win the “coin toss”. In the UFL, the home team gets to choose whether they want to receive or defer the opening kickoff, which helps the team control the strategy they want to start the game out with.
The action all kicks off at 3pm ET on ABC, this Saturday.
Full Roster Breakdowns: Birmingham, Michigan
What are your thoughts on this upcoming matchup between the Michigan Panthers and Birmingham Stallions? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
