For a second straight season, the Michigan Panthers made it to the playoffs. This time in the UFL, Michigan was one of the top teams throughout the year, despite all of the roster turnover we saw throughout this campaign.
CLINCHED 🐾
With our win today and losses by the Showboats and Roughnecks, we have officially clinched a spot in the USFL Conference Championship‼️ pic.twitter.com/zKHMFU4agu
— Michigan Panthers (@USFLPanthers) May 12, 2024
After making it back to the postseason – with a winning record this time around – the Panthers ultimately couldn’t find a way to get past the mighty Stallions; resulting in another loss in the Division/Conference Championship game.
It was a full year for Michigan, as the team had to sift through four different quarterbacks en route to a 7-3 regular season record. Mike Nolan earned Coach of the Year honors – which certainly was a deserved award. The entire coaching staff did a tremendous job this season navigating injuries, something that plagued Michigan down to the very end.
Jake Bates Takes Center Stage Early
The Michigan Panthers opened up their season taking on the favored St. Louis Battlehawks. In what was a rather ugly affair to start, Michigan seemingly was down and out with less than a minute to play, down by a point.
We’ve all heard the story by now, though, as an unlikely hero would arise. Kicker Jake Bates, who hadn’t kicked a field goal since high school, waltzed out and hit a 64 yard game winner twice, ultimately pushing the Panthers to victory as time expired.
A 64 YARD FIELD GOAL FOR THE WIN!!!! 🐾
(via @XFL2023)pic.twitter.com/Oeaz4KUqot
— Michigan Panthers (@USFLPanthers) March 30, 2024
The Bates-mania wouldn’t stop there. He made a 62 yard field goal the very next week, in a loss to Birmingham. Bates would finish the UFL season as one of the faces of the league, earning All-UFL honors after his incredible campaign. Jake has since signed with the…