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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’amu 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’s Center.

Ta’amu 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.

“Truthfully, I thought he was a lock,” D.C. wide receiver Briley Moore said of the awards snub. “He won’t tell you, but it lit a fire under him.”

Ta’amu 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.

“It was just about being smart with the football,” said Ta’amu, who hit on 21 of 28 passes. “Staying within our system and our game. We did the simple things.”

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’amu got his professional career started in 2020 in ӣ����Ƶ 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.

“There’s not a better feeling than to do this in ӣ����Ƶ,” said Ta’amu, 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 ӣ����Ƶ in the XFL Conference championship game last weekend.

Ta’amu 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.

“Coaches put us in the right spot, and Jordan was almost perfect,” Maiette said. “We came in thinking we could move the ball. But this was pretty amazing.”

D.C. took the lead for good 15-13 on a 19-yard TD pass from Ta’amu to Cornell Powell just over four minutes into the second period. Ta’amu 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’ 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.

“Over the season, we just got better and better,” D.C. interim coach Shannon Harris said. “When the playoffs hit, our mentality switched.”

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.

“If we had played (any) defense, we would have been in this football game,” Michigan coach Mike Nolan said. “The offense gave us a chance to win. We didn’t play very good assignment football (on defense).”

ӣ����Ƶ 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’ decision to return the title game to ӣ����Ƶ this time around as well.