Roy J. Akers- A totally unfiltered opinion on SPORTS
Jake Bates of the Michigan Panthers celebrates with fans after kicking a 64-yard field goal to defeat the St. Louis Battlehawks 18-16 at Ford Field March 30, 2024, in Detroit. (Luke Hales/UFL/Getty Images)
The Michigan Panthers edged the St. Louis Battlehawks 18-16 in a tightly contested affair. Panther’s coach Mike Nolan’s squad they barely knew each other as a newly formed team. When the USFL and XFL merged after the 2023 season dispersal drafts and again in free agency changed many of the players on the roster. Michigan was 4-6 in 2023 and barely made the USFL playoffs and made a first-round exit.
Five key points on the game and comments from those who made the game happen start now.
- Jake Bates huge 64-yard kick is the obvious place to start for the Panthers victory. After the Battlehawks took a 16-15 lead with little time left, the Panthers went nowhere on their final drive. But they had Jake from State Farm as their “ace in the hole.” Bates told his quarterback to ‘ just get me to the 46. His own 46 mind you. The Battlehawks froze Bates by calling a timeout, but his first kick was good from 64 yards on his own side of the field. The trick is Jake had to make the kick all over again after the failed freeze attempt. This is a tall feat for most kickers from that distance, but not Bates. He tells me about is going through his mind when teams pull that strategy.
Jake Bates and QB EJ Perry (right).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjzBR9A5O3g <<< Panthers vs. Battlehawks Game Highlights
2. Running Back Wes Hills is a very important player for coach Mike Nolan. Quarterback EJ Perry was trying to do ‘too much’ according to Nolan and he needed a running back to help provide much needed yards for the team. Hills had 11 carries for 89 yards. He was a big spark for the Panthers in the second half of the game and will be needed when his runs of 18 and 24 yards on consecutive plays were key to the Panthers taking their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter.
3. Strong safety Kai Nacua was a big disruptor in the game and paced the Panthers with 11 combined tackles including a sack. Battlehawk QB AJ McCarron had to scramble throughout the game and largely had to settle for secondary targets. Nacua had to be accounted for by the Battlehawks offensive line.
4. 3T Daniel Wise, like Nacua provided multiple points of pressure for the Panthers. He had two sacks in the game and eight combined tackles. He was part of a Michigan defense that forced three, three and outs in the first half.
5. Head coach Mike Nolan. Nolan has his Panthers team holding a 1-0 record going into week two. He has had to quickly mesh his revamped squad going into the 2024 season. Nolan’s team gelled offensively in the fourth quarter and held the football for 7:52 of the 15-minute quarter. His team has a lot of work to do before taking on two-time USFL defending champs Birmingham at home at Ford Field next week. He tells me how he will coach his team between weeks one and two of the Panthers win.
Finally, St. Louis quarterback AJ McCarron was bottled up by the Panthers defense for most of the game before keeping drives alive by scrambling and two big scrambles led to Battlehawk points.
Was that the key to those point producing drives?
St. Louis deserved a better fate. But fate does not win football games. Jake Bates never kicked a field goal in college as he was a ‘kickoff specialist.’ Thank God Jake kicks for the Panthers instead of working at All-State. Sorry about that Jake. For that, I’m the one wearing khakis. Roy J. Akers
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