Greg Reaves, Bandits defense clamp down late to edge Panthers

— In a matchup that featured the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks in the inaugural United States Football League Draft, two former AFC head coaches and nearly 700 yards of offense, the Tampa Bay Bandits sealed a 27-20 victory against the Michigan Panthers on Friday night.The South Division remains undefeated against the North Division at 5-0.The contest was still in the balance with less than two minutes to go when Bandits linebacker Greg Reaves forced Panthers running back Cam Scarlett to fumble, this after Scarlett caught a pass that made Shea Patterson just the second quarterback this season to pass for 300 yards or more with 1:47 left to play."Turnovers were the game," said Bandits linebacker Christian Sam. Patterson finished the night completing 23 of 37 pass attempts for 306 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Ta’amu completed just four of nine passes for 57 yards in the first half, but the Bandits' offense held the ball for half the time (9:46) the Panthers' offense did (20:14).Michigan specialist Cole Murphy both kept the drive alive with a fourth-down pass on a fake punt, and then put the Panthers ahead with a 36-yard field goal. It took the Bandits just over two minutes and six plays to respond with a go-ahead touchdown behind Washington’s 30-yard rush.