Josh Love? Carson Strong? It didn’t much matter for the Michigan Panthers in their opener of Year 2 of the USFL on Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee.
Love, who finished last season as the Panthers’ starting quarterback, was nearly perfect in Michigan’s 29-13 season-opening victory over the Houston Gamblers; the San Jose State product completed 19 of 21 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns, as the Panthers sliced though Houston’s defense for most of the afternoon at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
Love’s performance, two weeks before the Panthers open their home slate at the Detroit Lions’ home of Ford Field, evoked another tie to Michigan’s NFL franchise: His 90.