Michigan Panthers extend longest UFL winning streak, 22-19 at Houston

The Michigan Panthers nearly faded under the Texas heat in the second half, but found a way to escape Houston with a 26-22 victory Sunday for their fifth straight victory.

The win brings Michigan to 7-2 on the season and extends the UFL’s longest current winning streak, but doesn’t change their fortunes for the next two weeks. The Panthers will finish the inaugural UFL regular season Saturday in Birmingham, Ala., beating the Stallions 8-1, then return to Birmingham on June 8 for the USFL Conference crown and a berth in the UFL championship game. UFL.

Danny Etling, returning to the lineup after missing a few weeks with a hand injury, finished 12 of 18 for 110 yards for Michigan. The plan was for him to only play about halftime on Sunday.

Bryce Perkins, who played the second half for the Panthers, was 12-for-15 for 121 yards and a touchdown and also led the team with 79 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

The return

Down 10 early in the fourth quarter, Perkins scored on a designed 11-yard run. Perkins’ one-point conversion against Cole Hikutini cut the deficit to 22-19 with 11:45 left.

The Panthers got a stop and got the ball back late in the fourth. On a second-and-18 from the Houston 37, the comeback hopes seemed to fade when Perkins’ pass hit the Roughnecks’ Jimmy Moreland, but the ball was picked off by Siaosi Mariner for a 4-yard gain. On the next play, Perkins escaped a blitz and raced 25 yards for a first-and-goal at the 8 with less than 5 minutes to play. Two plays later, Perkins sprinted for a 5-yard touchdown and the lead.

The one-point conversion, again a pass to Hikutini, was successful for a four-point lead with 3:36 remaining.

On the ensuing possession, Houston managed to reach the Michigan 29-yard line, but quarterback Nolan Henderson backed away, slipped and fell. Breeland Speaks picked up his third sack of the day, a 16-yarder with 30 seconds remaining. Houston ultimately came up empty on a fourth-and-14 from 33, securing the victory for the Panthers.

Houston got on track early in the second half, first with a long scoring play on a 63-yard catch-and-run from Nolan Henderson to Justin Hall to give the Roughnecks a 9-6 lead . Then, on the ensuing possession, Perkins, who entered the game to spell Etling, threw a pass that was deflected and intercepted by Markel Roby deep in Houston territory.

Five plays later, Henderson hit Hall on a swing pass to the left for a 7-yard touchdown and a 16-6 lead after the successful extra point attempt.

The Panthers quickly responded with a 10-play, 86-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard TD pass from Perkins to Trey Quinn. That drive was buoyed by a 33-yard run by Perkins on third-and-13.

But Houston responded to regain a double-digit lead when an eight-play, 54-yard drive ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Mark Thompson.

A slow start

Michigan’s defense put together the first touchdown late in the first quarter. From the Houston 29-yard line, Jesus Gibbs forced a fumble by running back Mark Thompson. The ball was recovered by former Michigan State football star Kenny Willekes, who returned the ball 14 yards to the 16-yard line.

The Panthers nearly gave the ball back two plays later when Etling threw a pass in the end zone that was tipped down the sideline and intercepted. But that deflected pass came from an out-of-bounds play, negating the turnover.

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