The Michigan Panthers hit the road to take on the Arlington Renegades after a dominant victory at home over the DC Defenders, 38-14. The Renegades are coming off their 2nd straight loss, with the most recent being 6-12 in St. Louis.
Game Details:
Date/Location: Saturday, May 10 / Choctaw Stadium, Arlington, TX
Kickoff Time: 1 PM ET, 10 AM PT
Channel: Fox
Odds:
Spread: Michigan -3 (+100), Arlington +3 (-120)
Moneyline: Michigan -155, Arlington +130
Over/Under: 42.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Michigan Panthers (4-2):
The Panthers are coming off of their biggest win of the season after beating down the league-leading DC Defenders 38-14 in Detroit. Bryce Perkins completed 13 of his 18 passes for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns while adding 76 rushing yards and a touchdown. Remarkably, there were 10 missed tackles when he had the ball by my count, as he proved very difficult to bring down.
Running back Toa Taua also had a great game, rushing 19 times for 94 yards and a touchdown with 4 missed tackles along the way.
Arlington Renegades (3-3):
The Renegades lost a defensive struggle 6-12 last week in St. Louis. Their defense held St Louis to just 171 yards of offense and 12 total points. However, their own offense was only able to produce 210 yards of offense and 2 field goals.
Luis Perez completed 16 of his 23 passes for 145 yards with 1 interception last week.
Panthers Keys to the Game
Stop the Run
Last week, St. Louis had a high frequency of stopping the run against Arlington, although there were some successful plays mixed in. If Michigan can neutralize the run game, it will make it much easier to limit Arlington’s offensive production.
More Strong Play From the Offensive Line
Last week seemed to be a better week overall for Michigan’s o-line, both in pass protection and in run blocking. Week 6 was offensive tackle Cam Carter’s first game as a Panther. While he did not start, the entire unit seemed to perform better.
Strong Pass Coverage
Last week was successful in pass defense when you consider the sheer number of pass attempts from DC. Ta’amu completed 19 of his 36 passes for 259 yards and 2 touchdowns. Outside of the 65-yard touchdown, the vast majority of his deep attempts were unsuccessful in large part due to strong play from the cornerbacks. Michigan will need them to play well against the King of Spring, Luis Perez.
Panthers to Watch
80 TE Cole Hikutini
Last week, Hikutini caught all 3 of his targets for 63 yards and a touchdown.
84 TE Gunnar Oakes
Oakes caught 2 of his 3 targets for 41 yards last week.
5 MLB Frank Ginda
Ginda led the team in tackles last week with 11, including a solo run stop and 2 shared run stops.
14 CB D.J. Miller Jr.
Last week, Miller Jr. had 2 tackles, which were both stops against the pass. By my count, 6 targets came his way, resulting in 2 completions for 5 yards total and 1 pass being broken up.
18 CB Keni-H Lovely
Last week, 4 targets went Lovely’s way, and only the first one was caught, which was for 10 yards, and the final pass was broken up by him.
Renegades to Watch
17 RB Dae Dae Hunter
Hunter led the Renegades in both rushing and receiving last week after rushing 13 times for 47 yards and catching 5 passes for 41 yards.
9 RB De’Veon Smith
With the injury last week to Kalen Ballage, De’Veon Smith is elevated to the 2nd string runningback. Smith is a familiar player for many Panthers fans, having led the Michigan Wolverines in rushing yards for 3 consecutive seasons from 2014 to 2016.
50 DE Willie Taylor
Last week, Taylor had 2 sacks and, by my count, 6 additional pressures (1 of which he was unblocked) and batted down a pass.
18 LB Donald Payne
Payne had 18 tackles last week, including 3 solo run stops.
46 FS Myles Dorn
Last week, Dorn had 7 tackles, including a solo run stop. Additionally, he batted a pass at the line on a blitz.
Depth Charts, Injuries, Inactives
Score Prediction:
I predict the Michigan Panthers to win 24-20.
