Michigan Panthers QB makes USFL history in 2023 season-opening win over Houston Gamblers
Josh Love? Carson Strong? It didn’t much matter for the Michigan Panthers in their opener of Year 2 of the USFL on Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee.
Love, who finished last season as the Panthers’ starting quarterback, was nearly perfect in Michigan’s 29-13 season-opening victory over the Houston Gamblers; the San Jose State product completed 19 of 21 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns, as the Panthers sliced though Houston’s defense for most of the afternoon at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
Love’s performance, two weeks before the Panthers open their home slate at the Detroit Lions’ home of Ford Field, evoked another tie to Michigan’s NFL franchise: His 90.5% completion percentage snapped a USFL single-game record (minimum 10 attempts) dating back to the league’s first iteration in the early 1980s — former Lions QB Greg Landry, a Pro Bowler for the franchise in 1971, previously held it, at 82.8%
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Strong, a one-time NFL draft hopeful at Nevada, actually was perfect Sunday, going 5-for-5 in two series for the Panthers. But he didn’t get them into the end zone, passing for just 34 yards.
“Wasn’t just dink-and-dunk and get your yards,” Panthers coach Mike Nolan said on NBC’s broadcast after the game.
Stevie Scott III, the former Indiana standout, had 11 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown; he also had a reception for 13 yards. Love and Strong connected with eight different receivers, with a 34-yard TD pass to Joe Walker in the final two minutes as the only completion longer than 24 yards. Walker, a Delaware alumnus, led Panthers receivers with six catches for 105 yards.
The afternoon was also a statement for the Panthers defense under Nolan, the new head coach and longtime NFL defensive coordinator. Michigan held Houston to 196 total yards — 98 apiece rushing and passing — on 52 plays, an average of 3.8 yards a play. Former NFL second-round pick defensive end Breeland Speaks led the way with seven tackles, two tackles-for-loss and three sacks, and linebacker Frank Ginda added seven tackles. Former Michigan State cornerback Josh Butler, making his USFL debut, had six tackles, though he committed a costly penalty that wiped out an interception in the fourth quarter.
Next up, the Panthers will try to match their win total from last season — two — against Ford Field hub-mate Philadelphia at 7 p.m. Sunday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. They’ll then open their Ford Field run with a visit from the New Jersey Generals at 4 p.m. April 30.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Panthers open 2023 USFL season with 29-13 win over Houston
