Philadelphia Stars defeat Michigan Panthers 26-25 on last-minute miracle
The Philadelphia Stars defeated the Michigan Panthers 26-25 on an incredible last-second blunder from the Michigan Panthers.
During last week’s loss, quarterback Bryan Scott left early, and it appears he could be done for the season. In his absence, Case Cookus got the start, and the Stars’ offense didn’t skip a beat. Philadelphia got things going in the first quarter with a field goal and expanded their lead with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Devin Gray.
Michigan slowly came back, making their own field goal followed by a rushing touchdown from QB Shea Patterson. Reggie Corbin then exploded for an 88-yard touchdown to give the Panthers a 17-10 lead.
The Stars nailed another pair of field goals in the third quarter to expand their lead to six. With only a few minutes remaining, Patterson found Joe Walker for a touchdown, and the Panthers converted their two-point attempt to take a 25-23 lead.
Matt Mengel made his fourth field goal of the night to give the Stars a one-point lead with just five minutes remaining.
Michigan methodically ran down the clock and managed to have a chip-shot field goal to win it all with time expiring, but somehow shanked it, giving the Stars the victory.
Case Cookus
Even without Scott under center, the Stars’ offense looks just as good as it did to start the season. Completing 73% of his passes, Cookus threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns on the night. It’s not the best performance, but he did exactly what they needed from him.
Another big improvement was Philly’s rushing attack. The Stars leaned on the run for once, and it did wonders, with the team combining for 113 yards and 5.4 yards per carry.
Defense stepping up
Shea Patterson was shut down entirely by the Stars’ secondary last night, throwing for only 67 yards and giving up three interceptions on the day.
Michigan still managed to succeed on the ground, but it wasn’t a dominant performance. Taking away their big run, the Panthers averaged just 4.6 yards per carry on 35 attempts.
Up Next
Philly gets a few extra days off this week, playing the Birmingham Stallions next Sunday at noon on NBC.
Mandatory Credit: Sporting News
