The Michigan Panthers[4-6] defeat the Philadelphia Stars[4-6] 23-20. The Philadelphia Stars season is now over and the Michigan Panthers will play the Pittsburgh Maulers for the North Division Championship.
Before the game, the Panthers announce Quarterback E.J. Perry will make his first start for the Michigan Panthers in a game that determines the Panthers season.
1st Quarter
On the opening drive, Case Cookus finds Terry Wright for a diving 23-yard Stars touchdown. The 53-yard field goal attempt on the Panthers opening driving is wide right.
2nd Quarter
Luis Aguilar makes a 28-yard field goal for the Stars. The Panthers make a 51-yard field goal for their first points of the game. Luis Aguilar adds another field goal, this one from 53 yards, for the Stars. Following the field goal, Marcus Simms returns the kickoff 78 yards to the Stars 21-yard line. The Panthers are only able to come away with a 25-yard field goal following the return. Case Cookus connects with Diondre Overton for a 29-yard touchdown with 27 seconds left in the half. The Stars lead at halftime 20-6 over the Panthers.
3rd Quarter
On the opening drive of the second half, the Panthers kicked a 33-yard field goal. Stars Head Coach Bart Andrus makes the most hilarious challenge in football at any level that I have seen. After a Stars punt which was fair caught, Andrus challenged that the ball should be placed at the seven-yard line instead of the nine-yard line. USFL Head of Officiating, Mike Pereira, says “Is he seriously challenging that the ball should be placed at the seven instead of the nine?” He won the challenge but now the Stars are out of challenges. A Marcus Simms blocked punt is returned for a 15-yard Panthers touchdown by AJ Richardson to make it a one-possession game(two-point conversion is unsuccessful). Luis Aguilar’s 50-yard field goal hits the crossbar and is unsuccessful.
4th Quarter
E.J. Perry fumbles the snap, picks it up, and runs in for a 6-yard touchdown to take the lead(two-point conversion is successful with a Marcus Baugh reception). Michigan Panthers Cornerback Josh Butler throws a punch and is ejected from the game. The Stars attempt a fake punt and the pass is incomplete. The Panthers run out the clock and win 23-20 to send them to the playoffs.
Injuries, special teams, and stupid decision-making resulted in the Stars losing this game. This is the first time that the Stars will not make the playoffs. The season was doomed from the start. With a below .500 record there was no reason the Stars should have been in playoff contention. Hats off to Case Cookus, Corey Coleman, Terry Wright, Amani Dennis, Cody Brown, Gabriel Sewell Jr., Adam Rodriquez, and Luis Aguilar for their performance this season. I expect Luis Aguilar to be a starting kicker in the NFL this coming season with a kicking performance that was one of the best in football history. Hopefully, the Stars will be healthy for next season and hopefully, they play in Philadelphia.
-Jordan Burden