USFL Summer Bowl 2020: Bandits Dominant 2nd Half Leads to 33-13 Championship Result

What started as a very strong outing for the Michigan Panther defense transformed into a 20-point win for the Tampa Bay Bandits and their high-octane Bandit Ball offense. Michigan built up a 10-0 advantage in the first quarter only to watch Tampa Bay go on a 33-3 run of scoring to catch and then race past the Panthers in the second half of Summer Bowl 2020. Both teams would finish the game with strong offensive numbers, Michigan gaining 435 yards, including 141 on the ground for the 2020 Offensive Player of the Year, LeVeon Bell, while Tampa Bay would again put up impressive numbers, with 571 total yards of offense, including 361 passing yards for Dak Prescott and an unanticipated 20-carry, 181-yard performance from Dalvin Cook. The balance of Tampa Bay’s attack, combined with big plays in the second half helped Tampa Bay turn a 10-9 halftime deficit into a 33-13 victory.

In a game that saw both lead backs average 9 yards per carry, it was the ability to turn yardage into scoring opportunities that gave Tampa Bay a huge advantage after a slow start. Despite a strong outing from Kirk Cousins (26 of 40 for 294) and the big numbers from LeVeon Bell, Michigan simply did not build on their early 10-0 lead, watching as the Bandits chipped away in the 2^nd quarter and then burst out in front in the 2^nd half thanks to Dak Prescott’s 15.7 yards per attempt and three separate Bandit receivers averaging over 30 yards per reception. 

McDermott's D held the upper hand in the first half.

The game began very much in Michigan’s favor. The Panthers won the toss and chose to take the ball first, hoping to limit Bandit possessions throughout. After a pair of first downs, the Panthers got bogged down outside of field goal range and kicked the ball back to Tampa Bay. But the Panther D held on their first encounter with the Bandits’ offense, forcing a 3-and-out after Dre Kirpatrick forced Dez Bryant to land out of bounds as he brought in the 3^rd down pass. Kirkpatrick would, overall, have a strong day against Bryant, with the Bandit receiver only hauling in 4 of the 11 targets that went his way, but those 4 receptions went for 137 yards and would include a momentum-shifting 78-yard touchdown early in the 3^rd.

After getting the ball back from Tampa Bay, the Panthers had their first successful drive, with 3 solid rushes from Bell, followed by a beautiful seam route run by TE Martellus Bennett, producing the game’s first score, a 39-yard completion and score for the big man. The Panthers split the two outstanding Bandit safeties, Xavier Woods and Derwin James and Bennett hauled in a perfectly lofted pass to give the Panthers the game’s first points.

Following another good series for the Panther D, this time with linebacker Odell Thurman sticking HB Matt Breida for no gain on a 3^rd and 2 run, the Bandits again were forced to punt. As Michigan moved the ball into field goal range and took a 10-point lead with the Chase McLaughlin kick, Bandit coaches and QB Dak Prescott tried to motivate the offense. It would be a slow burn in the first half, but the Bandits slowly started to find success.

Butker's foot provided all of Tampa's 1st Half points.

On their third drive, Tampa Bay changed their strategy, relying more on Dalvin Cook, and setting up play action. The plan worked, with Michigan moving their safeties in tighter, allowing Prescott, on a 1^st and 10 to find TE Jordan Cameron on a deep throw, getting the ball all the way to the Michigan 11. The Offense tried to punch it in from there, but a 3^rd and 5 throw from the 6 was broken up by Kirkpatrick and out came Harrison Butker for what would be the first of three consecutive field goals, this one only from 23 yards out.

The entire 2^nd quarter was a series of frustrating drives for Michigan paired with field goals put up by Butker. The Panthers struggled on back-to-back third downs, failing on a 3^rd and 11 on their next possession, and then on a 3^rd and 16 following a holding call. The result was that Michigan simply did not get in range to add to what had been a 10-0 advantage, and then fell to 10-3, 10-6, and, with one last Butker kick in the final minute, down to a 10-9 advantage as the two teams went to the half.

As the 18,502 fans in the stadium enjoyed a toned-down halftime show led by local-boy turned American Idol star, Daughtry, the Bandits were recalibrating their attack and focusing on defensive stops for the second half. Michigan likewise was hoping to find the right adjustments to keep Tampa Bay contained, after all, allowing only 3 field goals in the first half was a definite win for the Panthers, but also trying to establish a better plan of attack to build on their slim 1-point advantage. 

Bandit QB Dak Prescott led Tampa Bay on a 24-3 2nd half surge.

When the 2^nd half started with Michigan receiving the kickoff, the Panthers came out with the intention to throw a bit of Tampa Bay’s own potency right back at them. They lined up on their first drive with 3 receivers and TE Martellus Bennett shifting to create triplet groups. The surprise tactic hit right away, with rookie Donavan Peoples-Jones getting open on a 2^nd and 2 for a big 30-yard gainer against a botched coverage from the Bandits. But, despite their initial success, the Panthers could not deliver a touchdown. With the drive bogged down outside the red zone, Michigan settled for a 49-yard kick from McLaughlin to make the score 13-9.

There was no way that the Panthers could have known that those 13 points would be all they would tally on the day. They had seen Bell make some great runs, had success distributing the ball. Their thought was certainly to keep the Bandits contained and slowly trade touchdowns for field goals to maintain their advantage. That plan blew up in a New York minute, or perhaps a Tampa Bay minute.

Dez Bryant was all smiles, celebrating his 78-yard TD.

Only 44 seconds after the McLaughlin kick, the Bandits finally broke through. It was a 2^nd and 3 after a nice 1^st down run from Cook. The Bandits showed a very similar look, Prescott faked the ball to Cook, drawing in the safeties, and Dez Bryant turned his slant into a corner route, with Kirkpatrick now out of position. One throw and 78 yards later the Bandits had announced to the Panthers, the fans in the stands, and all of America watching on TV, that they were done scoring field goals and slowly trying to creep back in the game. It was a watershed moment for both teams, with the Bandit players suddenly filled with bravado and the Panthers very much looking like they knew the real Bandits had entered the building.

Now down 16-13 after just one big play, the Panthers could not mount an offense on their next two drives, both ending short of the 50. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay took over and started to add to their advantage in a way the Panthers had failed to do earlier in the game. A 12-play drive, one that included a 36-yard pass to Dalvin Cook, finished with his backup, Matt Breida dashing into the endzone from 5 yards out to build the Bandit lead up to 10 points. The table had now officially turned, with Michigan’s early 10-point lead now turned against them.

As the 4^th quarter began, you could sense the tension from the Panther fans in the stands in Charlotte, and from the players on the bench. The feeling was one of a game slipping away. When the Bandits again raced down field, this time in only 7 plays, and Dalvin Cook added yet another rushing touchdown to the Bandits’ advantage, the Panthers were now down 17 and that very much felt like a deficit that would not be easily closed. The Panthers would have 2 more drives, one ending with a failed attempt at a 48-yard field goal, and the final drive ending when Jalen Ramsey picked off Kirk Cousins on a desperation throw to Latimer. Tampa Bay would add another field goal late to give us the final score of 33-13, but the game truly ended when the Bandits took the lead and then built it up to 10 points in the 3^rd quarter.

Grey Cup winner Mark Trestman now has a Bassett Trophy as well.

While Dak Prescott had been honored as the seasons’ MVP, he would gladly hand the Summer Bowl MVP award to his teammate Dalvin Cook. Cook finished the game with 266 yards from scrimmage, including 181 on the ground and 85 through the air. Prescott certainly showed well also, with his 361 yards on only 11 completions. And, of course, 2019 USFL Coach of the Year Mark Trestman was more than happy to hold high the John Bassett trophy, the symbol of excellence in the USFL, named for the founder of the Bandits and first held up by Tampa Bay in the league’s inaugural season, 38 years before. The title would belong to Tampa Bay once again, their 4^th USFL title, evening their record with Michigan’s all time. Both clubs now sit at 4-1 in the league title game. For the Bandits it was their 2^nd title in the decade, 9 years after their 2011 trophy. For Michigan their first ever loss in the league’s title game.

And so ends perhaps the oddest USFL season ever, at least outside of the gridiron lines on the field, but a very successful one for the league, playing through the pandemic, and for the Bandits, proving once again that there is a special kind of magic in Bandit Ball. Somewhere John Bassett is smiling down on the team and the league he helped to create.