Michigan Panthers Shut Down the Deep Ball to Edge Showboats
The Michigan Panthers throttle Memphis’s passing attack to win their third title. In a minor upset, the Michigan Panthers did what so many others could not, contain Brett Favre and the Showboat passing game. In a strategy that saw the club switch from a 3-4 to a 3-3-5 for the title game, Michigan put the pressure on HB Cadillac Williams to carry the game, and while the tailback would rush for 94 yards, it was not enough to come back after Michigan built up a 2-score lead and proceeded to match Memphis score for score through the second half.
It was a brilliant strategy from defensive-minded head coach Dick LeBeau. With stud linebacker Shawne Merriman unable to go, Michigan opted not to replace their starter with another linebacker, but to emphasize pass coverage and ask the Showboats to beat them on the ground by bringing in a third safety. The strategy worked as Brett Favre was held to 14 of 34 passing and only 236 yards by the frequent use of nickel and dime coverage schemes. The 3-man front of Kearse, Little, and Renfro, bolstered by blitzes from Odell Thurman and DeMarcus Ware, got to Favre early, producing two sacks in the first quarter and forcing Favre to throw underneath throughout the game.
The defensive move was coupled with a balanced offense that saw Brian Griese throw 26 passes while Fargas, Washington, and Musa Smith combined for 34 carries forcing Memphis to remain in base personnel for most of the game. In the end, Michigan controlled the cock for nearly 34 minutes and produced 5 more first downs and, most importantly, 7 more points than Memphis.
The game began, after a somewhat shaky rendition of the national anthem by Carrie Underwood, with Memphis taking the ball first. They would gain their initial first down on a short Maurice Smith run, but would soon have to punt when Favre could not find a receiver on 3rd and 7. Michigan took the ball over at their own 33 and proceeded to put together a very measured and consistent drive, 10 plays over 6 minutes, ending with Fargas’s 2 yard plunge for the game’s first points. Memphis would seek to equalize the score, and they moved the ball well on their 2nd drive, but on a 3rd and 4, Leonard Little got to Favre before he could find an open receiver, moving the Showboats even out of Jeff Hall’s impressive range. They would again have to punt the ball to the Panthers.
Michigan again found success by combining outside runs by Fargas and Washington with short passes, one to Randle-El over the middle, another to Coles, who would lead all receivers by game’s end with 101 yards. As the opening quarter came to a close, Michigan was poised to score again, with the ball at the 16 and a 2nd and 3 to go. Rather than play it conservatively, Coach Jauron had QB Brian Griese take a shot at the end zone, and that shot paid off, with Hines Ward hauling in the throw from Griese and Michigan taking a strong 14-0 lead.
By this point in the game, a sense of concern was clearly hitting the Showboats and their considerable fan base in Alltell Stadium. The Showboats responded with a solid drive that stalled to halt inside the red zone. They would have to rely on Jeff Hall to put them on the board, something he did with a 29-yard kick from the 12. Michigan was allowing the Boats to move the ball but was preventing the big plays that had gotten Memphis past the Bandits and into the title game.
On their next drive, Michigan added their own 3-pointer to pull back out by 14, thanks in part to a pair of penalties against the Memphis defense, now just a bit overaggressive as they got called for neutral zone offenses twice. Memphis’s front would only get to Griese once all day, a Patrick Willis blitz, and more often than not they found themselves holding back to avoid getting caught by a draw or screen, both significant tools in the Michigan arsenal. Michigan’s drive stalled at the Memphis 31, and Matt Prater added a field goal to push the lead back up at 17-3.
Memphis would use the remaining minutes of the first half trying to narrow that gap, and with success as they finally found pay dirt, but again, it was not a 40-yarder to Evans but a 4-yard slant to Ferguson at the end of a long, slow, time-consuming drive. They pulled within 7, but needed nearly all the remaining time in the half to do so.
As the fans in Alltell watched Creed and, weirdly fitting, guest star Limp Bizkit perform at midfield, the coaching staffs tried to energize their players. Michigan needed to stay disciplined, keep Memphis penned in and playing a slow game that did not suit them. Memphis, for their part, needed to find ways to use the Michigan 3-3-5 lineup to their advantage, use the run more, bide their time and look for a shot when they could get one.
Michigan would get the ball first in the half, and once again they would balance their offense between Fargas runs (4 on the drive) and short passes. On this drive it was Ward, Randle El, Bennie Joppru and rookie Mario Manningham. The drive would eat up over 5 minutes, but again fall short of a touchdown, with Matt Prater building back the Panther lead to 10 with another field goal.
Memphis went 3-and-out on their next drive, but once on defense managed to force the same from Michigan, so they got the ball back relatively quickly. This time Favre would not settle for dinking and dunking. On a first and 10 from his own 18 he went for it all, just missing Lee Evans on a fly pattern. Two plays later he would connect with Evans for the longest play of the game, a 42-yard catch and run by the former Badger. But even with the big play riling up the Memphis fans in the crowd of 66,880, it was not enough to will Memphis into the end zone. They settled for a 27-yard kick by Jeff Hall, pulling them to within 7, and hoped for better on their next possession.
What followed were two straight failed drives, the first a Michigan drive that got as far as midfield before fizzling and then a Memphis drive, spurred by a 31-yard Cadillac Williams run on 2nd and 9, but one that ended with a Hall field goal attempt from the 35, a 52-yarder that sliced to the left. Michigan took over at their own 42, and this time they would find the formula to get back in the end zone once again.
The drive would be an epic slog, starting just inside the first minute of the 4th quarter and taking nearly 8 minutes. Fargas would be the star of the drive, though a Coles catch on 3rd and 13 would keep the drive alive for the Panthers. Fargas rushed the ball 3 times, including a 17-yarder to get the Panthers inside the 10. From there it was run, run, run, ending on 3rd and goal with Fargas taking a swing pass from Griese and diving past the oncoming defender into the end zone. Michigan was back up by two scores, 27-13, and with only 7 minutes left, Memphis would need to do what they had not all game, score quickly.
Again, Farve tried to break the Michigan defense with a deep strike, this time to Ferguson, but it was broken up by Deltha O’Neal, back from injury just in time for Michigan’s deep playoff run. Memphis would have to work their way downfield in short chunks. They got a 5-yarder to Simeon Ferguson, then an 8 yarder to Wilson, a short run by Smith and then finally a better play, a 29-yard to Pierre Garçon. They were set up in the red zone, but it would take 3 more plays before Favre hit Evans with a TD pass from the 13. Memphis were back within one score, down 27-20, but there were now only 2 minutes and 38 ticks left on the clock.
The Showboats opted to kick it deep and hope to get a quick 3-and-out and a shorter field to drive. On a 3rd and 2 it appeared they may have put the Panthers where they wanted them, but before Michigan could even get the ball into Fargas’s hands, the referees whistled the play dead. Memphis had had 12 men in the defensive huddle, an inexplicable foul up so late in the year. The penalty gave Michigan a first down and the ability to run even more time off the clock. They reached 3rd and 3 with 44 second still on the clock. Lining up with 2 tight ends and Musa Smith alone in the backfield, Brian Griese dropped back in what looked like an attempt at a short crossing pattern. He then handed the ball to Smith on the draw, and the backup halfback found a crease between the center and the left guard. Smith would take the ball for 6 yards and with that any chance Memphis had of getting the ball back was lost.
The Michigan sideline erupted when Griese took the kneel down to end the game. Gatorade doused Coach LeBeau, and Brian Griese pointed to the sky in thanks. For Memphis it was a bitter end to a very good playoff run, a shot at a 2nd straight title was lost. For Michigan it was their first title in 22 years, and to be led there by a former Wolverine was doubly appreciated. With Detroit reeling from the recession and the deep issues of the auto industry, the Panthers had given Detroit and all Michiganders something to celebrate.
And so concludes the 2008 season, with a new champion, a return to glory for a proud franchise, and a long offseason ahead, filled with intriguing possibilities and concerning uncertainties. But on this night, those thoughts were pushed until later as the Panthers celebrated, and it felt like all of Duval County celebrated with them, a Saturday night in July to remember.