Battlehawks wide receiver Marcell Ateman (3) makes a leaping catch between two Michigan Panthers defenders during the second half of Saturday’s UFL opener at Ford Field in Detroit. (Photo courtesy: USA TODAY Sports)
| United Football League | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis (0-1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
| Michigan (1-0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 18 |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
DETROIT, MI — The 2024 United Football League opener between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Michigan Panthers had all the makings of a last-second fourth quarter thriller.
Not much happened in the first two quarters. The Battlehawks led 3-0 at halftime, as neither team could generate much offense.
But things got going in the second half. The lead changed hands five times, including a Battlehawks touchdown and one-point conversion with 49 seconds left that looked like it was going to give the visitors from St. Louis the win.
At least it looked that way until Michigan kicker Jason Bates connected on a record-breaking 64 yard field goal, with 3 seconds left, to lift the Panthers to an 18-16 win over the Battlehawks.
Bates, who was a kickoff specialist and soccer player in college, had not attempted an in-game field goal since he was in high school in 2017. And for his first attempt, the Panthers brought him out to attempt a 64-yard kick.
St. Louis tried to ice Bates by calling timeout before he could try his attempt. Bates actually made his first try, which didn’t count because of the timeout. But it didn’t matter, because on the one that did count, he just belted it through the uprights with plenty of room to spare to give his team the lead.
“That kid made two 64-yard field goals in a row,” Becht said. “We did that last year against a team, and they did it to us today.”
It was a quite a disappointing loss for the Battlehawks, who were expected to have one of the best offenses in the UFL this season, but struggled to convert third-downs throughout the game and failed on a key fourth-down try in the third quarter. St. Louis finished with 261 total yards and was five-for-15 on third downs and two-for-three on fourth downs.
Those two fourth down conversions was a huge one though, as they both came in the final two minutes of the game and helped St. Louis take its final lead.
The first came on a fourth-and-10 from the Michigan 29, when quarterback A.J. McCarron hit receiver Marcell Ateman for a 25-yard gain to the Michigan 4. Then, after the Battlehawks couldn’t score on either of the next three plays, McCarron hit Ateman again for a five-yard touchdown that tied the score at 15.
The Battlehawks went for one to take the lead, and got it when McCarron found a crossing Jake Sutherland to make the score 16-15.
With just 49 seconds left and Michigan’s offense also having struggled most of the day, St. Louis looked to be in good shape. But Panthers head coach Mike Nolan knew his kicker had a big leg and that he just needed to get somewhere near his range to have a chance.
It was reported that Nolan told his offense that it only needed to get to the St. Louis 40 to give Bates a chance. The Panthers got to the 46 and were faced with a fourth down.
Nolan didn’t hesitate. He sent Bates out to attempt a field goal to win the game. The rookie made it and Michigan won.
“Big picture, all three phases didn’t mesh well and that’s on me,” Becht said. “The goal of training camp was to start fast and try to do some things to get us going. It wasn’t good enough across the board. We have to be more affirmative in the run game to give ourselves a little bit of a chance.”
Michigan took its first lead in the third quarter, when QB E.J. Perry made a four-yard run up the middle for a touchdown to put the Panthers up 7-3.
The Battlehawks answered, midway through the fourth quarter, when McCarron hit Sutherland for a five-yard touchdown to make the score 9-7.
Michigan re-took the lead on an 8-yard run by Perry, that along with a two-point conversion that put the Panthers up 15-9.
That set the stage for McCarron and Ateman’s late heroics that gave St. Louis its final lead.
McCarron finished 24-of-37 for 216 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and Ateman had a game-high six catches for 60 yards and the one touchdown.
There was also a lot of potential yards and points left on the board, as the Battlehawks had several dropped passes, the running game didn’t do much, and the offensive line had trouble protecting its quarterback throughout the game.
McCarron was sacked four times, hit at least another six times, and was under constant pressure all day.
“They played us a little different,” McCarron said. “We didn’t get in much of a rhythm early, but right before the half we went a little uptempo and got a rhythm. Then the second half we started slow again. When we needed it most, we put drives together. We just have to be better next week.”
St. Louis will host its home opener, next Saturday, April 6, at the Dome at America’s Center against the Arlington Renegades. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on ABC.
Scoring Summary
| Team | Qtr | Clock | Play | Drive | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | 2 | 00:00 | Andre Szmyt 36 yd Field Goal | 16/87/7:51 | 3-0 |
| MICH | 3 | 5:26 | E.J. Perry 4 yd rush (1PT ATT RUSH by Matthew Colburn II GOOD) | 8/93/5:03 | 3-7 |
| STL | 4 | 7:55 | Jake Sutherland 5 yd reception thrown by AJ McCarron (2PT ATT PASS to Hakeem Butler FAILED) | 6/29/2:47 | 9-7 |
| MICH | 4 | 5:01 | E.J. Perry 8 yd rush (2PT ATT PASS caught by Devin Ross GOOD) | 5/56/2:54 | 9-15 |
| STL | 4 | 00:49 | Marcell Ateman 5 yd reception thrown by AJ McCarron (1PT ATT PASS caught by Jake Sutherland GOOD) | 11/44/4:12 | 16-15 |
| MICH | 4 | 00:03 | Jake Bates 64 yd Field Goal | 8/19/00:46 | 16-18 |