Latest news with #Etling
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan Panthers QBs drawing on Super Bowl experience ahead of UFL championship
Michigan Panthers QBs drawing on Super Bowl experience ahead of UFL championship Show Caption Hide Caption Ashton Jeanty talks all things Las Vegas Raiders and his hopes in the NFL Ashton Jeanty spoke with USA TODAY Sports about his upcoming rookie season with the Raiders and his partnership with Sharpie. Sports Seriously Michigan Panthers quarterbacks Bryce Perkins and Danny Etling are looking to lead Michigan to its first spring-league championship since the team was reborn as part of the 2022 USFL reboot. Both players are drawing upon their experience winning at the highest level as they look to take down the DC Defenders. Perkins and Etling both enjoyed multi-year NFL careers during which they were part of Super Bowl-winning teams. Etling's title came during his rookie season with the New England Patriots in 2018 while Perkins' came in his second season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. While neither Perkins nor Etling played in the respective Super Bowls their team won, each explained that being part of a championship winner has helped them in their quest for a UFL championship. "It allows you to understand what it takes to keep playing on after the regular season," Perkins told USA TODAY. "Keep playing in the playoffs." What Bryce Perkins learned from Rams Super Bowl The UFL playoffs are different in structure from the NFL's. Teams need to win two games in the UFL postseason to take home a championship while NFL squads need at least three victories to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. However, the UFL's schedule ensures that teams meeting in each conference championship are playing each other for a third time. That challenge is something Perkins learned a lot about with the Rams. Los Angeles played the San Francisco 49ers three times – twice in the regular season and in the NFC championship game – on their path to winning Super Bowl 56. The Rams lost both of their regular-season games to the 49ers before beating them in the playoffs. The Panthers did the same against the Birmingham Stallions during the 2025 UFL season, losing twice to their rival before earning a 44-29 win in the USFL Conference championship game. Perkins' experience with the Rams gave him confidence he could help the Panthers figure out a way to beat the Stallions. "(You) kind of understand how to play your opponent and how to really just keep executing on the things that you think you may notice," Perkins said of a third matchup. "Just a dedication in the execution level that it takes to go and perform as it gets late in the season." In Perkins' opinion, executing required the Panthers to win the one-on-one battles and be the aggressor. He felt they were able to achieve that in earning coach Mike Nolan his first win over the Stallions in his seventh try. "No matter who it was, it was going to be sweet, because it's a testament to how hard we work and the progression we've made throughout the year getting better and better," Perkins said of beating Birmingham in the USFL Conference championship. UFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: How to watch Panthers vs. Defenders What Danny Etling learned from Patriots Super Bowl Progression was a key theme Etling witnessed in his championship season with the Patriots. "My championship with the Patriots was all about peaking at the right time, getting the timely wins, learning about our team," Etling said. "We had all types of issues early on in the year." New England got off to a rocky 1-2 start to the 2018 season with road losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions. The Patriots came under fire for their shortcomings, with Etling noting the team's defense having a particularly troubling start to the season. However, Bill Belichick's unit enjoyed a strong midseason turnaround and managed to scrape together an 11-5 record. They ultimately performed well in the postseason and held the Rams to just three points in Super Bowl 53, tying the Miami Dolphins' record-low scoring output in Super Bowl 6. Witnessing that about-face gave Etling a conclusion he has carried with him throughout his professional career. "It doesn't really matter how you start the season," Etling said. "It's all about how you finish. It's all about the improvement you make throughout the year." Etling believes the Panthers have put those marginal improvements on display throughout the 2025 UFL season. In particular, they were clearly visible in each of the games leading up to their big win over the Stallions. Now, Michigan will try to continue to make minor tweaks as Perkins and Etling look to add another championship to their respective ledgers. "Just the little changes we make and the failures along the way throughout the season, they only make it better," Etling said, describing the Panthers' run to the UFL championship game. "It's all culminating to this Saturday, and making sure that you go out and execute and learn from those mistakes. That's been what our season's been about."
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former LSU quarterback Danny Etling leads UFL team to postseason-clinching win
Former LSU quarterback Danny Etling leads UFL team to postseason-clinching win In week six of the United Football League, former LSU quarterback Danny Etling gave a strong performance for the Michigan Panthers on Saturday. Etling completed 14 of his 22 attempted passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns. The Panthers' 30-18 victory over the Houston Roughnecks clinched a berth in the USFL conference championship for the second-straight season. The start was Etling's first since week three and came after regular starter Bryce Perkins suffered an ankle injury last week. Through six games in 2025, he's completed 60% of his passes. It is his third year with the Panthers. Etling transferred to LSU following the 2014 season after two years at Purdue. He threw for over 2,100 yards in 2016 and 2017, leaving the program at No. 8 on the all-time passer list. As a senior, Etling led the Tigers to the Citrus Bowl and passed for 2,463 yards. During the 2018 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected Etling in the seventh round. He bounced around between six NFL teams before settling into the UFL.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Michigan Panthers clinch UFL playoff berth behind backup Danny Etling with 30-18 win
The Michigan Panthers have clinched their ticket to the United Football League 2025 playoffs and the conference championship game. The Panthers defeated the Houston Roughnecks 30-18 on Saturday, May 17 at TDECU Stadium in Houston. Advertisement Danny Etling, a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft out of LSU by the New England Patriots who was last in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers in 2023 training camp, was suddenly thrust into the starting quarterback spot in place of MVP favorite Bryce Perkins (ankle), ruled out just before kickoff. Etling played well for the Panthers (6-2, who lead the four-team USFL Conference), finding Devin Ross for a 35-yard heave down the right sideline midway the third quarter to give the Panthers a 21-12 lead after the 1-point conversion from Toa Taua. Etling finished 14-for-22 passing with 167 yards and three touchdowns. On the Roughnecks (3-5) ensuing possession, Keni-H Lovely then immediately made a diving interception on a botched quick receiver screen, got up and swerved 55 yards to the end zone to break open a 27-12 Panthers lead. Etling hit Malik Turner on third-and-4 for a 5-yard touchdown late in the first quarter. Advertisement An 88-yard punt return by Xavier Malone down the right sideline early in the second quarter set up a 1-yard touchdown catch on the next play by Samson Nacua for a 14-3 lead. The Panthers visit the Birmingham Stallions, who knocked them out in the playoffs last June, next Saturday, May 24 in Week 9, then host Houston at Ford Field in Detroit in Week 10 in the regular season finale. The conference championship is June 8 and the UFL championship is June 14. Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook (@detroitfreepress). Advertisement Stay connected and stay informed. Become a Detroit Free Press subscriber. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Panthers game: UFL playoffs clinched in win vs Roughnecks
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Joe Etling discusses Super Bowl experience
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The Super Bowl is this Sunday, and it wasn't too long ago that the game had ties to Terre Haute. Super Bowl 53, between the Patriots and Rams, had Terre Haute South graduate Danny Etling on the sideline. Etling played quarterback for Terre Haute South from 2009 to 2012. He then went on to sign a scholarship with Purdue University before transferring to LSU later in his collegiate career. In 2018, Etling was drafted by the Patriots in the 7th round. That ensuing season, New England made their way through the playoffs and down to Atlanta for Super Bowl 53. Danny's Dad, Joe, is still an attorney here in Terre Haute. He said the experience doesn't just take place on Sunday but lasts all week long. 'Friday night, before the Super Bowl, there was a reception for the families at the College Football Hall of Fame', Etling said. 'Which was in Atlanta. That was a really nice experience with the players and the coaches there, and the families. Saturday, before the Super Bowl, the families got to go into the Super Bowl venue, on the field with the players, for photographs.' Danny Etling is currently playing for the Michigan Panthers in the United Football League. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
