The Michigan Panthers‘ Cole Murphy has been a USFL kicker for two weeks. In those two weeks he’s won the USFL Special Teams Player of the Week both times. Ironically, the Panthers have done a complete 180 and with Murphy have transformed their kicking game from one of the worst in the league to possibly the best.
Murphy this week put on a clinic once again for the Panthers. He was 4/5 on field goals and 1/1 on extra points. Murphy totaled 13 points for the Panthers this weekend in their 31-27 loss to the Breakers. What set Murphy a part this week was him converting on a 60-yard field goal before the end of the 1st half.
Murphy is now 7/8 on field goals with a long of 60, and 5/5 on extra points. In two weeks, Murphy has accounted for 26 points compared to his predecessor Michael Carrizosa who accounted for 3 points in five games. Also, Murphy has made a couple fans along the way and is slowly becoming a fan favorite for the Panthers.
Despite the Panthers record of 1-6 they are still mathematically alive for a playoff berth. Even though it appears Murphy’s help is a bit too late, his presence has been immediately felt. Moving forward Murphy is definitely an integral part of this team and the USFL as a whole. For the USFL that early on dealt with copious amounts of kicking woes, Murphy has brought a lot of credibility to the Kickers of the USFL, and the special teams unit of the Michigan Panthers.
