2017 USFL SUMMER BOWL
- USFL LIVES
- 3 days ago
- 11 min read
Panthers Hold On Against Hobbled Houston for 4th Title
The Michigan Panthers used a combination of a hearty run game, effective play action passing, and a defense that chased, challenged, and eventually sidelined Houston QB Colt McCoy to defeat the Gamblers and equal their Texan opponent’s league best four USFL titles. In a game that was surprisingly defensive-oriented, Michigan controlled the clock for nearly 36 minutes of action, doubled Houston’s output on the ground, and used aggressive stunts and line shifts to get to Colt McCoy, who was forced out of the game at the half. Houston’s defense kept them in the game, but they simply could not put enough points on the board to erase a 6-point halftime deficit.
The game began, as all Summer Bowls do, with a lot of pomp and circumstance, and while the Panthers were technically the road team due to their 12-4 record being 2 games worse than Houston’s 14-2 mark, it was clear from the early stages of pre-game that this game would have a heavy Detroit slant to it. In addition to the Panther faithful filling the entire “vistor” section with team-issued tickets, it was clear that folks in the Motor City and the entire Wolverine State had done their homework and found as many tickets in the general market as possible. While not as partisan as a standard home game, there was clearly a plum, champagne, and sky tinge to the 65,000 seat sell-out crowd at Ford Field.
The pre-game festivities also had a very Michigan feel to them, with the Michigan National Guard presenting the colors, with Motown star Diana Ross on hand to sing America the Beautiful and former Commodores lead man and solo star Lionel Richie belting out a high octane ersion of the National Anthem. Throw in the unique “fly over” and you had quite a show. With Ford Field not having a retractable roof, the USFL opted not to engage in the ridiculous concept of fly over with military jets that no one inside the stadium could witness. In its stead they opted to have a legends of the game “drive over” as fans cheered a parade of 28 cars representing the 28 league teams, all vintage U.S. convertibles from the ’57 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz and ’64 Ford Mustang to the 55’ Chevy Bel Air and the ’69 Pontiac GTO. Each car had 2 team legends from the 28 USFL squads. The biggest cheers, of course, went to the Panthers’ car, with former QB Bobby Hebert and former All-USFL linebacker Corker, but there was plenty of applause for other legends, including Herschel Walker (NJ), Jake Plummer (SD), Joe Cribbs (BIR), Troy Aikman (TBY), Joey Galloway (OHI), Eric Metcalf (SEA), Aeneas Williams (LA), Chris Doleman (ORL) and Tim Mazzetti (NOR).
After the ceremony, the coin flip went to the Panthers and another roar from the crowd. Rather than defer, Michigan took the ball first, wanting to establish their offense. The kickoff was a touchback and the Panthers took over on their 20. The first Michigan drive showcased LeVeon Bell, the Panther back rushing on all three of the initial downs, producing a first down on a 3rd and 1 run. Bell would have himself a heavy workload on the day, with 23 carries and 4 receptions, and would eventually be named the game’s MVP for his 144 yards from scrimmage.
The drive did not pick up a second 1st down as a holding call on what appeared to be a 2nd converted 3rd down led to a 3rd and 12 that the Panthers were unable to pick up. They punted the ball to the Gamblers and Houston took over on their own 33. Houston hit a nice initial play, with McCoy faking the ball to Hyde and finding Juju Smith-Schuster on an inside-cutting route. It gained 8, but on 2nd down, Carlos Hyde was caught behind the line by Michigan’s Terrell Troupe and on 3rd and 4 a short pass to Vernon Davis fell incomplete. Michigan returned the ball to the Panthers back on their own 17.
Michigan’s next drive would be a clinic in efficient ball control offense. The Panthers used 14 plays and converted two third downs on their way into Houston territory. The drive was highlighted by a 9-yard run by backup Mike Hart, giving Bell a spell midway through the drive. Hart seemed to be caught in the backfield but somehow spun out of the tackle and advanced the ball for a first down. The drive did sputter out in the red zone, when Kirk Cousins did not see a wide-open Jerrel Jernigan in the endzone and instead forced the ball to Rob Housler over the middle. The ball was swatted away by All-USFL rookie safety Budda Baker, and Michigan settled for a 37-yard field goal to put the first points of the game on the board.
Houston would get a nice return on the Michigan kickoff, with rookie Josh Reynolds bringing the ball back 21 yards from the 11 to give the Gamblers a nice starting spot on the 32-yardlline. They would move quickly, trying to shake up the Michigan defense by using a muddle huddle to get to the line quickly. It would be Colt McCoy’s best drive of what would be a shortened appearance. McCoy connected on 3 of 5 passing and Carlos Hyde broke tackles to turn a short gain into an 11-yard play. Following a defensive holding call against Michigan, Houston would have a first and 10 on the Michigan 7. After Hyde rushed for 2 yards on first down, the Gamblers lined up with 3 receivers bunched to the left and only TE Vernon Davis to the right. It was a classic rub route, with all 3 Gambler wideouts taking varying angles across the middle of the field, making for tough assignments for the Panther DBs. Davis slipped beneath the coverage, got a step on Michigan LB Sean Porter and took the McCoy pass in stride. He galloped into the endzone and the Gamblers took the lead. A PAT kick from rookie Younghoe Koo and Houston was up 7-3 with only 3 seconds left in the opening period.
Michigan would respond in kind as the 2nd quarter began. Kirk Cousins led the Panthers on an 8-play drive that took only 2:35 to retake the lead. The key play of the drive was a beautiful throw to Cody Latimer on the outside. Latimer, who would be the game’s lead receiver with 8 receptions, and tying Juju Smith Schuster with 85 yards, used a wicked inside shoulder fake to put distance between himself and the corner, catching the ball along the sideline and gaining 33 yards before being knocked out of bounds by safety Kenny Vaccaro. The play put Michigan just outside the red zone and 3 plays later it was Cousins to Latimer a second time, this time for 7 as the receiver took an inside move on the Panther corner and found the ball right between his numbers on the slant.
Houston would again try to go quickly on the next drive, but on both 2nd down and 3rd down pressure from the outside forced Colt McCoy to shift to his left, and in both cases his passes were thrown at the knees of the receivers. Houston was forced to punt back to Michigan, but more disturbingly, McCoy was visibly struggling to sprint on both roll outs. He could shuffle, he could move, but he clearly could not run with any authority. That was noticed by the Michigan defense, and would be theme of the rest of the half.
Michigan would add 3 more points on their next drive, with Michael Beam connecting from 45-yards out to give the Panthers a 6-point lead halfway through the 2nd quarter. Houston would again take over, but this time they seemed willing to slow things down. They turned to Carlos Hyde to gain a first down, then gained a second on an offsides penalty on 3rd and 2, but mired down on their own 48. On 3rd and 7 Colt McCoy was taken down, sacked by Panther DE Justin Tuck, and was slow to get up. Michigan punted as McCoy sought an adjustment to his taping and his knee brace on the sideline.
Houston’s defense would come up with a nice sack of their own at the end of the next Michigan drive, pushing the Panthers back from the Houston red zone and bringing out Michael Beam to attempt a 39-yarder from the 22. The ball would shank off to the right and the Gamblers would sigh in relief as the lead would stay at 6, less than a touchdown. Michigan had moved the ball well on the last 2 drives but had only come away with 3 points. With the ball back with 57 seconds to go in the half, Michigan took a couple of shots down the field, but on 3rd and 10 opted to hand the ball to Hyde on a draw that gained 7 yards, but not enough to convert for a first down. Michigan called for a time out, forcing Houston to punt with 17 seconds left. The punt went out of bounds inside the Panther 20 and that was enough for Coach McDermott to call a kneel down and go to the half, Panthers up 13-7 and seemingly having the better fortune in the game.
At the half, Houston trainers worked on McCoy’s knee, giving the Gambler starter the green light to go out in the 2nd half. The coaches worked on defensive schemes to better defend Latimer while not allowing Bell to run wild. In the Michigan locker room the focus was on intensity, with Coach McDermott urging his team not to let up, to fight on every down, and to stay focused for 30 mor minutes of action. Outside the locker rooms, the sell-out crowd was given a very different Mo-Town experience, not classic Rhythm & Blues acts but two very different Detroit sounds as rapper Eminem teamed up with Jack White and the White Stripes. The transition from some classic Slim Shady to 7 Nation Army was a bit forced, but fans, at least the large Panther contingency, seemed to enjoy rapping along to "Lose Yourself”, yelling “One Opportunity” every time Eminem hit it.
With a bit of smoke from the indoor pyrotechnics still in the air at the top of the dome, the second half kicked off with Houston getting the ball first. Out trotted McCoy and the offense, the QB looking a little more spry. But, following a pair of runs by Hyde, McCoy lined up in the shotgun for a 3rd and 4, Michigan pressured with blitzes from both SS Troy Petty and OLB Stanley Arnaux. McCoy tried to evade the pressure, but was clearly uncomfortable moving to his left. He attempted to get the ball out to Hyde on the left side, but took a vicious hit form Arnaux just as the ball was released. Rather than finding Hyde, it found LB Odell Thurman, who was a good 2 yards inside Hyde. Thurman, bobbled the ball at first, but brought it in as he rolled to the ground. Houston had turned the ball over in their own territory and it was clear that McCoy was not anywhere near 100%.
The Houston defense needed a stop, and they got exactly what they needed on first and 10 from their own 30. Houston sent pressure up the middle, apparently a run blitz, but the ball was not in the hands of LeVeon Bell. Michigan had tried first down play action, but it was about to backfire. With the immediate pressure, Kirk Cousins spun out of the pocket, rolling to the right and trying to find space as he headed towards the sideline. DE Antwan Applewhite showed surprising speed in pursuit, pushing Cousins further back. Just as he headed out of bounds, Cousins tossed the ball up the sideline and out of bounds, but it was on the Houston sideline and as soon as the play happened a dozen Gamblers pointed at the sideline, insisting that Cousins had stepped out before throwing the ball away. The officials had called incomplete pass, but Coach Wade Phillips threw the red flag. Upon review, the officials amended their ruling, giving a sack to Applewhite and placing the ball back at the 41. Michigan was forced to punt.
After the touchback, Houston took over on offense but it was not Colt McCoy, but Jeff Driskel who came onto the field with the offense. McCoy was on the bench, clearly frustrated and upset, surrounded by trainers working on the brace. Jeff Driskel led the Gamblers out, and on first down completed his first pass, a s short swing to Hyde. It would be one of only 3 completions in the entire second half. Houston would make a first down on that first possession, but then failed to obtain a second and punted. Michigan, noting the change at QB and feeling good about their current position, perhaps prematurely went into a shell, focusing on the run game and passing on 3rd and 4 or longer for the rest of the game. The result was that we saw a 3rd quarter with no further ventures across the 50 for either team.
It would be a game of field position for the entire second half. The Michigan punt put the ball on the Houston 7, and with the focus now clearly on containing Carlos Hyde, by 3rd down it was 3rd and 15 on the 2-yardline. Michigan again brought pressure and the pressure was effective, with Tuck forcing Driskel into a desperate attempt to scramble out of the endzone. DT Kevin Vickerson would catch him before he could get away and 2 points went to the Panthers, to raise their lead from 6 to 8 points, still within a single drive’s ability to match, but still a bit more breathing room for the Panthers.
The 4th quarter brought more of the same, with Houston unable to capitalize even on the occasional nice play, because they simply were not able to keep drives going. Michigan was content to play for field position and drain the clock with run plays and the occasional short, safe pass. Houston did manage to get a long field goal from Younghoe Koo on their most successful drive of the half, but it was only enough to bring them within 5. They would need a touchdown in some fashion, and they simply were not getting the plays they needed to pose a threat.
Michigan took the clock down to 3:03 before opting for a squib punt instead of a long fieldgoal attempt, and Houston would get their last possession on their own 9-yardline. Jeff Driskel managed to find Juju Smith Schuster on a nice out-route to earn a first down, and hit Carlos Hyde with a screen on the next play, but again Houston could not get the ball out from their side of the field. They found themselves with a 4th and 4 on their own 44, and when Driskel could not connect with Vernon Davis, it marked the end of Houston’ title bid. Michigan took over with just over 2 minutes to play, needing one first down to end any threat of a last minute miracle. They would get it from, who else, LeVeon Bell, as he turned a 3rd and 3 into a 7-yard run to the right side. Cheers went up on the Michigan sideline and throughout the stadium. The Panthers would end the game with one more Bell run and a Cousins kneel down.
The Michigan Panthers had outlasted the Gamblers in a game that was more a war of attrition than a shootout. It had been clear that Colt McCoy’s injury and inability to continue in the second half changed the tenor of the game, but even in the first half Michigan seemed to be the more physical team, able to pressure McCoy while Kirk Cousins benefited from a pretty solid pocket and a decent ability to run the ball. As Coach McDermott and team owners passed around the John Bassett Trophy, the players hugged each other, bathed in plum and champagne confetti. LeVeon Bell had failed in his bid to break 2,000 yards rushing, but he had won a league title, and the Summer Bowl MVP as well. He was happy, and the state of Michigan celebrated its first title in a decade.
For Houston, it will forever be a game shrouded in “what ifs”. What if McCoy had stayed healthy? What if he had not played in a meaningless Week 16 game? Would his knee have healed just enough to not be a factor in this game? What if Landry Jones had been available to back him up? A lot of questions, but at the end of the day Coach Phillips acknowledged that the Panthers were the better team on this day, and that his Gamblers were proud of their season and eager to get to work on 2018.
It was perhaps not the most glamorous or even the most attention-holding title game, and the second half certainly lacked in big plays, but it was a title game between two very good teams, both of whom could have a strong future ahead of them, and in the end the Panthers proved a worthy champion.
Can you update the list of champions won by team?
Congrats to Michigan on #4. Can you post the box score?