Houston Roughnecks Hold Off Panthers In Season Finale

On Saturday, the Houston Roughnecks and Michigan Panthers wrapped up their UFL regular seasons in Detroit, playing each other for the second time this year.

Michigan’s season isn’t over no matter how this contest went, as they are already set to play Birmingham in the USFL Conference Championship next week. For Houston, though, they’ve been eliminated. That said, the Roughnecks were looking to close out the year on a high note, and they did exactly that.

After the Panthers took care of business in Houston a couple of weeks back, with a 30-12 win, the Roughnecks got their revenge. Houston took down Michigan 19-12 on the road, finishing with a 5-5 record.

Let’s take a look at what went down in Ford Field today, as it was a bit of a defensive standoff.

First Quarter

Houston opened up with the football, and instantly grabbed momentum. Jalan McClendon looked sharp, pushing the ball down the field, finding Justin Hall, Keke Chism, and Geor’Quavius Spivey for a couple of key receptions to move the chains.

After getting inside the red zone, it was Lorenzo Lingard who got on the board first. His rushing touchdown, paired up with a PAT to Justin Hall, put Houston on top 7-0 early.

Mike Nolan decided to roll with Rocky Lombardi as the starting quarterback for Michigan this week. The rookie finally saw some legitimate reps, and was off to a good start using his legs to extend plays.

Unfortunately, their drive inside the five wouldn’t pan out according to plan. A bad snap resulted in the ball going right by Lombardi, and J.T. Tyler recovered for the Roughnecks on what was a wild sequence.

Heading into the next period, Houston held a 7-0 lead – and the football.

Second Quarter

The Roughnecks would stall out offensively though, with Mike Rivers punting it away. Disappointingly for Michigan, they would continue to struggle – with self-inflicted wounds. Rocky Lombardi broke free for a 49 yard rushing touchdown, but a super challenge from C.J. Johnson would ultimately bring the play back. Siaosi Mariner was called for unnecessary roughness, and Michigan had to punt it away.

With a seven point lead and momentum, Coach Johnson decided to be a bit bold. On 4th and 1 from Michigan’s 25 yard line, he decided to go for it, as opposed to kicking the field goal. DB KiAnte Hardin broke it up, and the Panthers took over.

Lombardi’s day wouldn’t get much better, though. He threw an interception right to Marvin Moody, who house-called it for six, and the Roughnecks led 13-0.

Michigan was able to respond, though, as Lombardi and Matt Colburn used their legs to create plays. A B.T. Potter field goal made it 13-3, with less than a minute to go until halftime.

A big play to Kirk Merritt down the side lines gave Houston a chance to get points before the half ended, though, and they capitalized. Chris Blewitt hit from 43 yards out, and it was a 16-3 ball game with two quarters down.

Third Quarter

The Panthers opened things up with a bang in the third quarter. Nate McCrary went off on the ground, slicing through Houston’s defense with ease. Then, Matt Colburn decided it was his turn, and broke free for a 23 yard score – and the Panthers were right back in the game.

The Roughnecks would respond. Jalan McClendon found Emmanuel Butler for a 41 yard strike, putting them inside Michigan’s five yard line. Noah Dawkins stepped up with a couple of stops for Michigan – and the Panthers held them to only three.

For whatever reason, Nolan put Danny Etling in the game, despite the scoring drive previously with Rocky. On 4th and 1 from their own 38, Etling tried a QB sneak, but fumbled – and it was a turnover on downs.

Houston shot themselves in the foot, as a tripping penalty on Zach Banner negated a big gain. They would punt it away, giving Michigan the ball deep inside their own 10. Unfortunately for Etling, the struggles would continue. He was strip sacked by T.J. Franklin, who recovered it himself – sucking the life out of Michigan offensively.

Fourth Quarter

This is where things got a bit weird for Houston. On 4th and 13, in field goal range, they attempted a fake with Chris Blewitt – which was snuffed out by the Panthers, and they took over.

Etling found a rhythm on the next possession, with a 24 yard completion to Xavier Malone. Michigan would settle for three, bringing the game within seven points.

Michigan’s defense responded in a big way in the second half, and they would step up again. Benning Potoa’e got a sack on McClendon, forcing another punt out of Houston.

The Panthers couldn’t find a way to consistently be in a groove offensively, which hurt them quite a bit in this one. On 4th and 6, Etling’s pass to Siaosi Mariner was incomplete, and Houston had possession again.

It was a quick three and out for the Roughnecks, though, and the Panthers had one more crack at it. Danny Etling would make a mistake once again – throwing an interception to Keenan Isaac, overthrowing Xavier Malone.

That would be the final nail in the coffin, and the Houston Roughnecks would finally get their first win in franchise history over Michigan, 19-12.

Standout Playmakers

WR Keke Chism: Chism continues to be a centerpiece in Eric Price’s offense, and had another impressive outing with four catches for 44 yards. He did have a poor drop in the first half, but outside of that, Keke’s been a go to guy for McClendon all year long.

LB Marvin Moody Jr.: Marvin Moody should be in the NFL this summer. He’s shown plenty of growth this year, and led the Roughnecks with eight tackles – including a pick six, and two PBU’s on the stat sheet.

CB Keenan Isaac: Isaac was another impressive addition this offseason, and finished on a high note. He totaled seven tackles, the game-sealing interception, and three PBU’s on the afternoon.

EDGE Jamir Jones: Jamir Jones is another guy who’s been excellent for Houston this season. He had four tackles, a sack, and two TFL’s – once again showing he’s ready to be in an NFL camp this offseason.

RB Nate McCrary: McCrary had a big day on the ground once again, rushing for 68 yards on 12 carries, averaging 5.7 YPC. His production will be huge for this team as they head into the postseason.

DB Kedrick Whitehead Jr.: Whitehead’s seen his role grow with Michigan this year, especially with all the injuries they’ve faced. Kedrick had seven tackles, and a huge stop on the trick play FG to give Michigan a chance late.

Key Takeaways

The Michigan Panthers were way too lethargic on offense today, which is what kept them from reaching their full potential. Rocky Lombardi and Danny Etling did not protect the football, with the two combining for four turnovers on the afternoon.

Lombardi, in particular, didn’t show much as a passer. His legs are tremendous, as he utilized his mobility for multiple first downs – and had a touchdown called back because of Mariner’s boneheaded penalty. That said, we didn’t see much from him through the air, with just 61 yards and an interception on 18 passing attempts.

The turnover margin for the Panthers was brutal, with four of them – and no takeaways. They were also 1-3 in the red zone, failing to score touchdowns despite the opportunities.

“Turnovers are not always the quarterback’s fault, sometimes it’s the wrong route run. In order to be accurate in my assessment on those turnovers, I’d have to look back at the film. But, obviously, turning the ball over costs you a lot. If you lose the turnover battle, you likely lose the game. It’s possessions, and the more possessions you give the other team, the less chance you have to win. ” – HC Mike Nolan

A lot of credit needs to be given to Chris Wilson’s defense, as they were tremendous today. In coverage, they shut down Siaosi Mariner and Malik Turner, who had a combined one catch for one yard on seven targets. Michigan was 0-2 on fourth down, and of course, had four turnovers as well.

“One thing we talked about is finishing strong, and propelling our way to the next season. When I was with the good teams at Miami, and with the Saints, the one thing we did when we weren’t as good, is that we wanted to finish playing hard. The last thing you do will impress everyone, and the last thing we did this year was win the game. I couldn’t be more proud of this team.” – HC C.J. Johnson

Even with six penalties for 65 yards, Houston played a pretty clean game outside of that. They didn’t turn the ball over, and defensively stood strong in the second half – even when the offense faltered. C.J. Johnson got away with a strange fake field goal attempt in the fourth, which thankfully didn’t cost them in the end.

Houston finished the year with two strong wins, and Johnson is confident that they have the right blueprint going forward. With a 5-5 record, they finish with a .500 average – a major improvement from 1-9 a year ago.

Final Thoughts

This was a game that didn’t really matter, but shows the two teams trending in different directions. Houston has now won two in a row to finish the season, and one has to wonder how their year could’ve gone, with a different quarterback from day one. Their 1-3 start put them behind the eight ball, and they couldn’t recover quick enough to make a postseason push.

For Michigan, they have to find a way to snap this slump. They’ve dropped two straight heading into the playoffs, finishing with a 6-4 record. Now, it’s not time to panic – as Bryce Perkins hasn’t played since week seven. With this in mind, the sloppy play needs to improve quickly. The playoffs are ahead, and there is no longer any room for mistakes or miscues.

The UFL will continue tomorrow, with a double-header between San Antonio and Arlington, followed up by Memphis and Birmingham.

What are your thoughts on this game between the Houston Roughnecks and Michigan Panthers? Which UFL players impressed you? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!