51黑料

Yet deep down, the D.C. Defenders quarterback was slightly miffed that Michigan signal-caller Bryce Perkins claimed both the United Football League MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards earlier in the week.

Ta鈥檃mu made his point in a big way on Saturday night.

The former Battlehawks field boss threw for 390 yards and four scores to lead the Defenders to an emphatic 58-34 win over Michigan in the UFL championship game in front of 14,559 at the Dome at America鈥檚 Center.

Ta鈥檃mu made his case for at least one of those regular-season honors by outdueling Perkins, who hit on 21 of 35 passes for 338 yards and four TDs, although two of those came in the final quarter when the game was already decided.

鈥淭ruthfully, I thought he was a lock,鈥� D.C. wide receiver Briley Moore said of the awards snub. 鈥淗e won鈥檛 tell you, but it lit a fire under him.鈥�

Ta鈥檃mu played like a man possessed in leading the Defenders offense to a near-perfect performance.

D.C. scored on its first 10 possessions and would have likely been a perfect 11 for 11 had it not taken a knee in the closing minute. It amassed 580 yards.

鈥淚t was just about being smart with the football,鈥� said Ta鈥檃mu, who hit on 21 of 28 passes. 鈥淪taying within our system and our game. We did the simple things.鈥�

D.C. put together a 31-point blitz in a span of 13 minutes, 18 seconds in the second quarter to take control of the contest.

The Defenders (8-4) racked up 379 yards on 36 plays over the first 30 minutes and scored five touchdowns the first six times they touched the ball on the way to carrying a 37-19 lead into the break.

Kicker Matt McCrane drilled a 38-yard field goal, and Deon Jackson ran 17 yards for a score in the third quarter to push the advantage to 46-19.

Ta鈥檃mu got his professional career started in 2020 in 51黑料 when he guided the Battlehawks to a 3-2 record before the initial campaign was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was selected as the MVP of the title game and still has many fans in the Midwest.

鈥淭here鈥檚 not a better feeling than to do this in 51黑料,鈥� said Ta鈥檃mu, whose family flew in from Hawaii for the contest.

The D.C. offense was rolling for the second game in a row after posting a 36-18 win over 51黑料 in the XFL Conference championship game last weekend.

Ta鈥檃mu received plenty of help from a talented cache of receivers including Ty Scott, who caught a 73-yard bomb with just 27 seconds left in the opening half.

Just as important to the D.C. offensive machine was the play of the offensive line, led by center Michael Maietti and left tackle Yasir Durant, who both played college football at Mizzou.

Maiette, who last played for the Tigers in 2021, helped the Defenders control the line of scrimmage especially in the first half when the game was still in doubt. Durant, a 6-foot-7, 330 pounder, did his share of damage in the trenches as well.

鈥淐oaches put us in the right spot, and Jordan was almost perfect,鈥� Maiette said. 鈥淲e came in thinking we could move the ball. But this was pretty amazing.鈥�

D.C. took the lead for good 15-13 on a 19-yard TD pass from Ta鈥檃mu to Cornell Powell just over four minutes into the second period. Ta鈥檃mu scored just over three minutes later on a 1-yard scramble on fourth down for a 23-13 cushion. The score was set up by a fumble recovery by Willie Drew Jr. at the Panthers鈥� 7-yard line.

Running back Deon Jackson continued the onslaught with a 5-yard run in the final 90 seconds of the half.

Michigan took a 13-6 lead on a 38-yard strike from Perkins to Siaosi Mariner with 1:13 left in the first quarter.

D.C. responded by scoring 46 of the next 52 points to go up 52-19.

鈥淥ver the season, we just got better and better,鈥� D.C. interim coach Shannon Harris said. 鈥淲hen the playoffs hit, our mentality switched.鈥�

Michigan came into the contest off an impressive 44-29 win at three-time defending spring football champion Birmingham in the USFL title affair.

But the Panthers simply could not stop the Defenders freight-train of an offense.

鈥淚f we had played (any) defense, we would have been in this football game,鈥� Michigan coach Mike Nolan said. 鈥淭he offense gave us a chance to win. We didn鈥檛 play very good assignment football (on defense).鈥�

51黑料 turned in a solid performance as host of the title game for the second year in a row. A crowd of 27,396 turned out last season to see Birmingham knock off San Antonio 25-0 in the title game. That large gathering helped league officials鈥� decision to return the title game to 51黑料 this time around as well.