The Michigan Panthers will clash with the DC Defenders in the UFL Championship in the Dome on Saturday night. The Panthers are coming off a big victory in Birmingham, winning 44-29 over the Stallions. The Defenders are also coming off a road win after a 36-18 victory over the St. Louis Battlehawks.
Game Details:
Date/Location: Saturday, June 14 / The Dome at America’s Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Kickoff Time: 8 PM ET, 5 PM PT
Channel: ABC
Odds:
Spread: Michigan -3.5 (-110), DC +3.5 (+110)
Moneyline: Michigan -165, DC +140
Over/Under: 50.5 (Over +100, Under -120)
Michigan Panthers (7-4):
The Michigan Panthers have finally beaten the Birmingham Stallions after losing all 6 of their meetings since the revival of the USFL in 2022. The Panthers got their first win against the Stallions in a very crucial matchup, winning the USFL Conference Championship on the road in Birmingham. Recently crowned UFL MVP Bryce Perkins completed 20 of his 25 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown while adding 34 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
DC Defenders (7-4):
The Defenders had a resounding victory over the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL Conference Championship, winning 36-18 in a game that saw the Battlehawks face the consequence of a lack of a volatile passing game, in a game that saw their offense struggle to find its footing. The Defenders’ offense saw Jordan Ta’amu complete 18 of his 26 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown with 1 interception. Deon Jackson and Abram Smith combined for 174 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground.
Panthers Keys to the Game
Bend But Don’t Break in the Passing Game
Ta’amu is not necessarily a quarterback who is consistently accurate, but you can normally count on some very nice deep passes from him every game. With the Defenders’ tendency to have him take some deep shots downfield, the Panthers’ secondary will need to have strong reps to not allow deep strikes.
Keep Pounding the Rock
Toa Taua has rushed 103 times this season and playoffs for 449 yards (4.4 average) and 9 touchdowns. The Panthers’ rushing game has only gotten better as the season has progressed, and they need to finish strong.
Stop the Run
Last week, Michigan held Birmingham to 61 rushing yards, 23 of which came from quarterback rushes. DC is coming off a strong game on the ground, and Michigan will want to ensure they do not have the same success in this area as they did against St. Louis last week.
Panthers to Watch
35 RB Toa Taua
Taua rushed 21 times last week for 85 yards (4 average) and 3 touchdowns.
4 WR Siaosi Mariner
Mariner led the league in receiving, catching 31 passes for 527 yards and a touchdown. He only had 2 catches last week for 24 yards and could break off a big game if Birmingham is not prepared for him.
17 WR Malik Turner
Turner caught led the Panthers in receiving last week, catching 6 of his 7 targets for 99 yards and a touchdown.
80 TE Cole Hikutini
Hikutini caught all 6 of his targets last week for 53 yards.
57 DE Breeland Speaks
The 2024 UFL Defensive Player of the Year had 1 tackle last week, which was a shared run stop, and had 6 total pressures by my count.
94 DT Taylor Stallworth
Stallworth had 2 tackles last week, including 1 sack and a shared run stop. By my count, he had 5 additional pressures.
2 S Arnold Tarpley
Last week, Tarpley had 3 tackles, including 1 shared run stop. He had 6 targets come his way and only 1 resulted in a completion by my count, which was an 18-yard touchdown. He had 2 pass breakups and an interception.
Defenders to Watch
26 RB Deon Jackson
Last week, Jackson rushed 21 times for 110 yards (5.2 average) and 2 touchdowns. By my count, he had 2 missed tackles forced.
4 RB Abram Smith
Smith rushed 13 times for 64 yards (4.9 average) and a touchdown last week and had 2 missed tackles forced.
23 RB Ricky Person Jr.
Person rushed 76 times for 411 yards (4.09 average) and 5 touchdowns over 8 games.
12 WR Chris Rowland
Last week, Rowland was the most targeted receiver, catching 5 of his 7 targets for 42 yards.
85 WR Seth Williams
Williams caught both his targets last week for 61 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown.
99 DT Joe Wallace
Wallace was credited with 2 tackles last week and was in on 2 run stops. He had 6 total pressures by my count last week, including a sack.
48 DE Andre Mintze
Mintze had 2 tackles last week, including a sack. By my count, he had 7 additional pressures, 3 of which were a secondary form of pressure on the play.
2 CB Deandre Baker
Baker had 1 tackle last week, which was a solo run stop. He had 3 targets come his way, and none resulted in a completion, and 2 were pass breakups. He did have 1 pass interference called against him, although it was a bit of a questionable call.
Depth Charts, Injuries, Inactives
Score Prediction:
I predict the Michigan Panthers to win the UFL Championship 38-27.
