Backbreaking interception by Kai Nacua runback 80 yards for touchdown (Jay Allen / The Forkball)
On a beautiful spring day at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, the 11 AM kickoff was in cloudy skies. The powerful Michigan Panthers prevailed, but it was an interesting and close matchup.
- The Panthers defense continues its dominance from last year. The Memphis Showboats did not score a touchdown until the 4th quarter. After one quarter the Showboats had only 13 yards, with two 3-and-outs for the first two drives. And the biggest play of the game was Kai Nacu intercepting the Showboats and running it back 80 yards for a clinching touchdown.
- The Showboats coach Jim Turner still hasn’t decided on a full-time quarterback. They started E.J. Perry, who didn’t show much early. The second quarter saw Trey Williams at the helm, with slightly better results, and the Showboats crawled back into the game. But late in the game E.J. Perry was the QB leading the home team to its only TD.
- Logistical details of UFL games are very topnotch. Opening day and most everyone knew their role; the pyrotechnics were impressive (but jarring) and there were a number of local touches for the Memphis location. Field looked flawless; referees were mainly right on challenges but it’s unnerving at time that sometimes there’s no flag thrown but a “call” made in the booth for a foul. And the challenges are quick and (for this game) almost 100% correct.
Early Season Woes
- The Showboat’s defense is a work in progress. The leading tacklers were Zeke Vandenburgh and Steele Chambers. When your inside linebackers combine for 19 tackles then possibly your defensive line is getting beaten. Homegrown Tiger alum Jaylon Allen made a couple of big plays, including then only sack. On the long passes the defenders knocked down every attempt for a game-breaker (except for a short pass that turned into a long completion). But both Michigan QBs constantly broke containment and there were many wide-open receivers in the seams. That can be worked out after the first week.
- Big-play potential is not the forte of either team. There were a couple of long pass plays, but they were the results of broken tackles. Most runs that broke the line of scrimmage were snuffed out by the linebacker level. Both teams used 2 and 3 wide receiver packages, but only a couple of times did a receiver seem to reach deep daylight but there were no connections. The Michigan Panthers as well used both of their main available quarterbacks. Michigan will rely on their returning defense, but Bryce Perkins going 16-19 and leading the Panthers to a 26-12 victory shows their offense has great potential to grow in the future.
