By: Jesse Germonprez
The Michigan Panthers dropped a game they had every reason to win on Saturday night, falling 32–27 to the St. Louis Battlehawks at The Dome at America’s Center. Honestly, it’s getting exhausting watching the same mistakes take games out of their hands.
It’s not about talent, it’s not even about execution… It’s about decision-making at the top, and it showed up again when it mattered most.
Perkins Was Cookin’ — Until He Wasn’t Allowed To
Bryce Perkins came out this week absolutely locked in.
This wasn’t some lucky stretch of throws or a “managing the game” kind of performance. Perkins was efficient, decisive, and commanding from the first whistle. He finished the night 21-for-25 for 235 yards and 2 touchdowns without a single turnover. The ball was coming out quick. He was spreading it around — Siaosi Mariner went off for 111 yards, Malik Turner added another 71 and a score, and Gunnar Oakes even punched one in from 12 yards out.
The Panthers’ offense looked as balanced and as clean as it’s looked all season.
And then… Mike Nolan happened.
For reasons nobody can explain (except maybe Nolan himself, even that would be a stretch), he pulled Perkins out of the game to put in Danny Etling. Again.
And again, it killed all the rhythm the team had.
Etling came in, instantly threw off the timing, missed open throws, and eventually lobbed up an interception. Meanwhile, Perkins stood on the sideline, puzzled, while the camera caught him laughing with Rocky Lombardi. Whether they were laughing at Etling’s struggles, the mind-numbing decision to pull the hot hand, or just how ridiculous the situation has become, it said it all.
You could feel the air get sucked right out of Michigan’s sideline, and St. Louis took full advantage.
Duggan Was the Real Problem We Never Solved
Let’s give credit where it’s due: Max “Thuggin” Duggan balled out.
He didn’t light it up with his arm (9-of-12 for 124 yards and a touchdown is solid, but not crazy), but he made huge plays with his legs. Duggan rushed for 70 yards on 10 carries and scored two back-breaking touchdowns, including a late scamper that put St. Louis up for good.
The Panthers’ defense simply had no answer for him all night.
Every time Michigan tried to clamp down, Duggan found a way to move the chains — either scrambling away from pressure or breaking tackles once he got past the line. Michigan’s front seven, led by Frank Ginda and Kenny Willekes, was clearly keyed in on stopping the run between the tackles. They weren’t prepared for a quarterback to be the best ball-carrier on the field.
And when the defense crept up to try and deal with Duggan’s running?
Boom — Hakeem Butler.
Butler absolutely gashed Michigan for 124 yards and two touchdowns… on only two catches. One was a 67-yard bomb. The other a 57-yard strike. Both of them were moments where the Panthers secondary just lost the battle — and it hurt bad. Granted, one came on a well executed trick play.
Taua Shines Again while McCrary is Steady, But It Wasn’t Enough
On the offensive side, Toa Taua continues to look like a future star in this league after pushing golf carts just few short weeks ago.
He ran 15 times for 74 yards and 2 touchdowns, showing the same mix of patience, burst, and toughness that’s helped him carve out a bigger and bigger role each week. He added two more catches out of the backfield, too.
Nate McCrary once again handled lead duties early, grinding out tough yards, but when Taua checked in, everything just seemed to move faster. His ability to press the hole and bounce when needed gave the offense real juice.
But even with Taua getting in the end zone twice, and the offense putting up 27 points against one of the better defenses in the UFL, it wasn’t enough. Not with the turnovers, not with the quarterback carousel, not with the defense giving up chunk plays when it mattered most.
The Mistakes That Killed the Panthers
It’s hard to pinpoint just one moment that cost Michigan the game.
It was a collection of self-inflicted wounds:
Pulling Perkins after he was playing at an elite level.
Danny Etling’s interception that flipped the momentum.
Giving up two bombs to Butler when the game was still within reach.
Failure to contain Duggan’s legs on critical downs.
It’s not like Michigan didn’t fight. Perkins came back after the Etling disaster and led a late push, closing the gap to one score. He got them back within striking distance with Taua’s second TD of the night. But once St. Louis chewed up the clock with another Duggan drive and kneel-downs, it was too little, too late.
Nolan’s Decision-Making Is Hurting This Team
At the end of the day, the blame for this loss falls on Mike Nolan’s shoulders.
It doesn’t matter if he had some “package” planned for Etling. It doesn’t matter if he thought they needed a spark or wanted a different look. Bryce Perkins was your best player on the field Saturday night — and you pulled him when he was cooking.
You can’t coach scared. You can’t coach stubborn.
And you sure can’t win games by voluntarily handing away momentum.
If you believe Perkins is your starter — and he’s proven he is — then let him finish the job. Let him fight through rough patches. Trust him to lead. If you don’t, you might as well keep handing games over to teams like St. Louis.
It’s that simple coach.
Sadly… St. Louis 32, Michigan 27
Key Stats:
- Bryce Perkins: 21/25, 235 yards, 2 TDs
- Max Duggan: 9/12, 124 yards, 1 TD, 70 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs
- Hakeem Butler: 2 catches, 124 yards, 2 TDs
- Toa Taua: 15 carries, 74 yards, 2 TDs
Key Moments:
- Etling’s INT late third quarter flipping field position.
- Two bombs to Butler flipping the scoreboard.
- Duggan’s legs extending drives and breaking Michigan’s spirit.
Final Thoughts
This team is good enough to beat anybody in the UFL. They showed it again Saturday.
The offense has play-makers. The defense has pieces. The quarterback play with Perkins is absolutely good enough. Players are showing up. The teams energy is real.
But until they stop getting in their own way — and until Mike Nolan quits pulling his starter for no reason — it’s going to keep ending like this: With a lot of talent, a lot of “almost,” and a lot of “what if?”
Bryce Perkins deserves better.
The Panthers deserve better.
The fans deserve better.
It’s time to stop messing around and let this team be what we know it can be.