Maulers beat Michigan to give huge boost to playoff hopes

Thanks to another brilliant defensive effort, the Pittsburgh Maulers have gone from the brink of playoff elimination to controlling their own postseason fate.

Kyahva Tezino had two of his team’s four interceptions as the Maulers defeated the Michigan Panthers, 19-7, on Saturday in Canton, Ohio.

If the Maulers (3-6) had lost to the Panthers (3-6), they would have been eliminated from playoff contention. With the win, all they need to do is defeat the fourth-place New Jersey Generals (2-6) next Saturday to clinch the second and final playoff berth in the USFL’s North Division.

The Maulers own the tiebreaker over Michigan thanks to sweeping the two-game season series.

In addition to recording four interceptions, the Maulers racked up five sacks and held the Panthers to 50 yards rushing and 195 yards passing.

Quarterback Troy Williams limited mistakes, going 14 for 24 for 166 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Madre London led the Maulers in rushing with 51 yards on 12 carries. Isiah Hennie had five catches for 67 yards.

Special teams also played a key role for the Maulers. Josh Simmons returned the opening kickoff 64 yards to the Michigan 29. Three plays later, Williams hit Simmons with a 17-yard touchdown pass, giving the Maulers a lead that never seriously was threatened.

The Maulers took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter on a 43-yard Chris Blewitt field goal set up when London blocked a punt.

They upped their advantage to 13-0 on a 46-yard Blewitt field goal on the last play of the first half, set up by a Keith Gipson Jr. interception.

Michigan’s best moment came on the first possession of the second half. The Panthers went 73 yards in five plays and made the score 13-7 on a 12-yard scoring pass from quarterback Josh Love to Cole Hikutini.

That was as close as the Panthers got.

In the third quarter, Hennie made an acrobatic 33-yard catch on the left sidelines to set up a 26-yard Blewitt field goal to make it 16-7.

In the fourth quarter, the Maulers put together a key 11-play, 66-yard drive to set the stage for a 22-yard Blewitt field goal that put the Panthers two possessions behind at 19-7.

Love went 19 for 33 for 234 yards, a touchdown and four picks for the Panthers. AJ Richardson caught five balls for 100 yards.

The most impressive individual performance of the day might have come from an unlikely source: the Maulers punter. Late in the first quarter, Matt Mengel uncorked an 83-yard punt, the longest in the USFL this season.