By Zane Miller

The Kentucky Barrels traded blows with the Michigan Arsenal throughout the first half of the opening matchup of the AF1 playoffs, but would be done in by a second half shutout as the Arsenal ran away with it 70-36 on Saturday night.

While normally a defensive back for Kentucky, Joe Powell made the switch to wide receiver and later on at quarterback after an injury to starting quarterback Dominic Hobdy. He had an impressive return to the team with a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to save the Barrels from elimination as the Arsenal advanced to the semifinals.

The first-round contest was originally slated to be hosted by the Barrels, but with scheduling conflicts at Truist Arena and a neutral venue unable to be secured, the game was instead held at Michigan’s home arena in Saginaw. Nonetheless, the Barrels were able to get on the board first with Hobdy punching it in after a long opening kick return from Powell. However, the Arsenal capitalized on their first drive as well, with quarterback Malik Henry finding receiver Daniel Williams III from four yards out to tie it up.

The first big defensive play of the night came on a 35-yard pick six by Michigan defensive back Khai West, but a couple of clutch throws by Hobdy under pressure kept the ensuing Barrels drive moving, leading to the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native running it into the end zone himself.

The teams wouldn’t remained tied for long, though, as Henry showed why he is an MVP candidate with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jairus Grissom. Continuing the back-and-forth nature of the contest, Powell took a direct snap and barely made it across the goal line for the game’s third tie, but the trickery wouldn’t stop there. Kentucky pulled a fake extra point with holder and defensive back Anthony McCraw going up and over multiple Arsenal defenders for the two-point conversion.

After another successful scoring drive for Michigan, the Barrels responded with the most exciting offensive play of the evening, as Powell broke free from the Michigan secondary and Hobdy hit him for a 30-yard strike to the end zone. Despite there being less than a minute left in the first half, Michigan needed just 10 seconds to reach paydirt again, coincidentally on another 14-yard touchdown connection from Henry to Grissom. However, in the process they left Kentucky with plenty of time on the clock to respond, and they did just that as veteran receiver Darius Prince hauled in a 13-yard TD pass from Hobdy for the sixth lead change of the game and a 36-33 halftime advantage.

While things were looking up for the Barrels after a dreadful conclusion to the regular season, this would turn out to be a tale of two halves. Getting the ball to start the second half, Michigan moved downfield expeditiously and got the lead back on a 19-yarder from Henry to wide receiver Trevante Long. Contrary to the evening’s usual chain of events, the Barrels were unable to respond with a touchdown of their own, as Arsenal defensive back Justin Sykes forced a fumble which was quickly scooped up by linebacker Jalen Jackson. With their first opportunity at a two-possession lead, Michigan cashed in just two plays later on a touchdown rumble from fullback Ricky Weaver. However, the biggest turning point of the night was soon to come.

With it still early in the third quarter, Hobdy left the game with an injury, forcing Powell to move over from receiver to become the new signal caller. Unfortunately for the Barrels, this obligatory switch did not pan out as the Arsenal defense held them off the board the rest of the way. Meanwhile, Henry and company built some breathing room with a pair of touchdown passes to Long and another score from Weaver. Eventually, the Arsenal punched their ticket to the semifinals with a 70-36 triumph, sending Kentucky into the offseason.

Henry finished an incredible performance with seven touchdowns and 273 yards through the air, while Hobdy collected a pair of touchdowns and 120 yards before his third quarter injury. Grissom led the way for Michigan with three TDs and 115 receiving yards on six grabs, while teammate Long wasn’t far behind with two touchdowns and 113 yards on 10 catches. Prince led the Barrels receivers with a touchdown and 55 yards on four catches, with Powell also having four receptions for a touchdown and 53 yards before taking over at the quarterback spot.

Defensively, new defensive back Nick Brassel led Kentucky with six tackles, with Isaiah Robertson claiming three tackles and linebacker Jaylen Johnson adding a sack. For Michigan, West, Jayzen Armstrong and Berdale Robins were each credited with an interception, as Sykes earned a pair of sacks and linebacker Vaughn Pemberton tied Robins for the team lead in tackles with six apiece.

Thank you to everyone for reading throughout the season!

Scoring summary

1Q 14:40 KEN #11 D. Hobdy 1-yd TD run (PAT good)- Barrels 7-0

1Q 11:34 MIC #1 D. Williams III 4-yd TD pass from #16 M. Henry (PAT good)- Tied 7-7

1Q 8:00 MIC #8 K. West 35-yd interception return TD (PAT good)- Arsenal 14-7

1Q 3:01 KEN #11 D. Hobdy 6-yd TD run (PAT good)- Tied 14-14

2Q 13:32 MIC #2 J. Grissom 14-yd TD pass from #16 M. Henry (PAT no good)- Arsenal 20-14

2Q 7:27 KEN #1 J. Powell 2-yd TD run (2-pt conv. good)- Barrels 22-20

2Q 3:27 MIC #52 R. Weaver 1-yd TD run (PAT no good)- Arsenal 26-22

2Q 0:53 KEN #1 J. Powell 30-yd TD pass from #11 D. Hobdy (PAT good)- Barrels 29-26

2Q 0:43 MIC #2 J. Grissom 14-yd TD pass from #16 M. Henry (PAT good)- Arsenal 33-29

2Q 0:00 KEN #6 D. Prince 13-yd TD pass from #11 D. Hobdy (PAT good)- Barrels 36-33

3Q 13:27 MIC #7 T. Long 19-yd TD pass from #16 M. Henry (PAT good)- Arsenal 40-36

3Q 11:42 MIC #52 R. Weaver 1-yd TD run (PAT good)- Arsenal 47-36

3Q 11:20 MIC #81 O. Roden deuce- Arsenal 49-36

3Q 7:43 MIC #7 T. Long 8-yd TD pass from #16 M. Henry (PAT good)- Arsenal 56-36

4Q 10:06 MIC #2 J. Grissom 34-yd TD pass from #16 M. Henry (PAT good)- Arsenal 63-36

4Q 4:42 MIC #0 K. Brenson 17-yd TD pass from #16 M. Henry (PAT good)- Arsenal 70-36

Final Score: Arsenal 70, Barrels 36