In a battle between two of the top teams in the UFL, the DC Defenders (4-1) travel north to take on the Michigan Panthers (3-2) at Ford Field in Detroit.
The Defenders solidified their spot atop the league last week, after defeating the Arlington Renegades in a shootout, 37-33 on the road.
While the Panthers fell in similar fashion to the St. Louis Battlehawks last week, 33-27 at The Dome.
Michigan and DC faced off just once last season, as the Panthers handily defeated DC at Audi Field, 22-9.
Panthers HC Mike Nolan announced earlier this week that Bryce Perkins would be the full-time starter moving forward, officially moving on from the two-quarterback system after five weeks.
Let’s dive into this cross-conference matchup and how it might pan out on Sunday afternoon in the great state of Michigan.
Quarterback Play
As mentioned before, Perkins is officially the starting quarterback heading into the back-half of the regular season as Michgian prepares for a final push towards the postseason. Media and fans alike have clamored for Nolan to hand the reins to Perkins for quite some time now, stretching back to last season when Bryce impressed in limited action.
Last week, Perkins finished the game 21/25 for 235 passing yards and two touchdowns. A very impressive statline for the former UVA Cavalier. This week, Michigan faces another top-half defense with an aggressive front-seven as co-league leaders in sacks, Derick Roberson and Andre Mintze come to town.
Another component of Perkins’ game which makes him so dangerous is his unique powerful running style. As a quarterback, Perkins presents a bigger frame at 6 ‘3, 220 lbs., making him a threat to run over any defender at any moment. Through five games, Perkins has added 143 rushing yards, along with three touchdowns (tied for team lead).