Jake Bates hits another game-winning field goal in Michigan Panthers' 28-27 win

The Michigan Panthers' biggest playmakers delivered again in the clutch to avoid an upset at Ford Field.

Marcus Simms broke a kickoff return down to the Arlington Renegades' 31-yard line with 45 seconds left after Arlington hit a late field goal to go up, 27-25. Jake Bates, the ever-steady cannon of a leg for Michigan, hit a 42-yard field goal, his fifth of the game to give Michigan the 28-27 win as time expired.

The Panthers (4-2) moved a step closer to clinching a playoff spot in the USFL division — in second place, they have a three-game lead over Memphis with four games to play — while the Renegades (0-6) remains the final winless team in the UFL.

The Panthers trailed for a majority of the game but overcame two deficits in the fourth quarter in the win. The last-second heroics were set up by an Arlington drive that took three minutes off the clock and ended in a field goal to take a two-point lead, following a Panthers touchdown making it 25-24.

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Arlington led 24-16 entering the fourth quarter, but a Bates field goal cut the lead to five. Michigan came up with its first defensive stop since the first quarter with a turnover on downs at midfield, leading to a Wes Hills touchdown run to take the lead with 5:37 left.

Arlington's Luis Perez, a former Lions QB who completed 24 of 37 passes for 180 yards, and Michigan alumnus De'Veon Smith, who had 55 rushing yards, whittled down the clock before the Renegades' field goal gave them a 27-25 lead with 57 seconds left.

Simms' return meant the Michigan offense only had to kneel down once before sending Bates out. Quarterback Danny Etling completed 16 of 28 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown in his second start; he also rushed for 55 yards, including a 40-yarder to set up the last touchdown from Hills.

Bates stars again

The most consistent part of the Panthers was again the special teams unit, thanks in large part to Bates.

He started with a 43-yard field goal (after a 55-yarder was negated by penalty) that gave Michigan an early 10-3 lead in the first quarter. He cut Arlington's lead going into halftime to 17-13 with a 60-yard field goal as time expired after Michigan rushed to sneak into range following a late Renegades touchdown.

Michigan was stopped on third down in Arlington territory on each of its first two drives of the second half, resulting in 29- and 49-yarders that cut the Michigan deficit to 24-19, leading to the turnover on downs and late rally.

Third-down woes nearly sink Michigan

Part of the reason why Bates had a busy afternoon was because of Michigan's offense, which consistently failed on third down after crossing midfield. Michigan had to settle for a field goal on its second drive after a completion short of a first down. The offense mustered just one first down until the 60-yard field goal just before halftime.

It was more of the same in the second half, with Michigan settling for kicks after two long drives, while the defense let Arlington convert three third downs en route to a touchdown to go up 24-16. The last third-down conversion was thanks to a pass interference call, leading to a 14-yard J.P. Payton touchdown run on the next play.

The Renegades went 7-for-12 on third down while the Panthers went 5-for-12, but the Panthers came up with stops on two late third downs to spring the comeback. The first happened with six minutes left setting up fourth-and-1, leading to the turnover on downs and touchdown, and the second led to an Arlington field goal with a minute left, preserving the clock for the Panthers' final score.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Panthers beat Arlington Renegades, 28-27, on Jake Bates FG