USFL: Michigan Panthers blown out in second half vs. Philadelphia, 46-24

A former Michigan football defensive back and the brother of a current Detroit Lions lineman helped stymie a Michigan Panthers comeback Saturday.

The Panthers' second-quarter erasure of a 14-point deficit was washed away by an explosive second half from the playoff-bound Philadelphia Stars, with Michigan losing, 46-24. Channing Stribling (interception) and Gabriel Sewell (forced fumble) came up with big turnovers that Philadelphia quickly turned into points to put the once-close game out of reach.

The fifth straight loss for Michigan (1-7) knocked them out of postseason contention in the inaugural season of the reboot of the United States Football League.

[ The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here's how you can gain access to our most exclusive content. ]

Quarterback Case Cookus was dominant for the Stars (5-3), finishing 20-for-26 with 247 passing yards, 118 rushing yards and five total touchdowns. Panthers QB Paxton Lynch, a former NFL first-round draft pick, finished 27-for-40 for 251 with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He added seven rushes for 20 yards, a touchdown and a fumble lost.

Tre Williams, a Panthers defensive lineman who played at Missouri and Arkansas, needed help to the sideline after a play during the second half. He remained on the ground for several minutes with an undisclosed injury before eventually being stretchered off.

The broadcast team, featuring former Michigan Wolverines star Devin Gardner, Joel Klatt and Kevin Kugler, reported seeing Williams roll over on his own and seeing him moving his fingers. Coach Jeff Fisher said postgame Williams, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound native of Columbia, Missouri, has movement and was transferred to the University of Alabama-Birmingham medical center.

Michigan also lost Reggie Corbin, the former Illinois standout who was one of the league's leading rushers, with an injury in the second quarter. He finished with three rushes for minus-2 yards.

A second-half fumble inside the 3-yard line was emblematic of Michigan's day: Close but no cigar. After Philly regained the momentum, Lynch led a long drive and attempted to rush for his second touchdown. If successful, the Panthers would have trimmed the game to a two-score gap with nearly the full fourth quarter to play.

But after the no-huddle snap was delivered, Sewell — brother of the Lions' 2021 top pick Penei Sewell — leaped across the line of scrimmage and punched the ball from Lynch's arms, into the end zone where it was recovered by Philadelphia.

Each time Michigan looked like it was going to take the lead, or at least keep it close, Philly had an answer.

The Stars ran out to a 21-7 advantage before the Panthers mounted an impressive, if only temporary, comeback. Michigan sandwiched a field goal and touchdown around a Philadelphia punt just before halftime to close the gap to 21-18. But that's as close as Michigan would get.

MORE: Ex-Michigan QB Shea Patterson won't give up dream

A Michigan three-and-out to open the second half followed by a Philadelphia field goal pushed the lead to six.

Lynch was then victimized by Stribling, the league leader in interceptions, who jumped an out route near midfield for his sixth pick of the season. Cookus eight plays later found Devin Gray for his third touchdown pass of the day to make it 32-18 Stars after the two-point conversion.

A failed Panthers fourth-and-3 near Philadelphia territory with 12 minutes left pretty much sealed the season sweep for the Stars. Two plays after the Panthers turned it over, Cookus was nearly sacked — but he scrambled from the pressure and found tight end Pro Wells for a 51-yard touchdown that was easily the best pass of the day. At 39-18, all hopes of a Michigan comeback were silenced.

On a subsequent drive, Cookus put a stamp on his MVP-level performance with a 79-yard touchdown jaunt that, once again, started with him escaping the clutches of a Michigan defensive lineman.

Lynch found running back Cameron Scarlett late for the final score of the day. The last time the two teams met, May 6, the game was much closer, with Michigan losing by missing a chip-shot field goal on the final play.

The Panthers play the first-place New Jersey Generals (7-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday before closing the season vs. the last-place Pittsburgh Maulers (1-7).

Follow the Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for more news. Tyler Davis can be contacted at tjdavis@freepress.com or on Twitter @TDavisFreep.

Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get exclusive subscriber content and more here.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: USFL: Michigan Panthers blown out vs. Philadelphia Stars, 46-24