Kulka throws nine touchdowns as Nashville edges Michigan, advances to AF1 title game

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Tyler Kulka threw nine touchdown passes and the Nashville Kats survived a record-book assault from Michigan quarterback Malik Henry to defeat the Arsenal 92-76 in an Arena Football One semifinal Sunday at F&M Bank Arena.

The top-seeded Kats advanced to host defending champion Albany in the Arena Crown at 4 p.m. (EST) Saturday. The Firebirds earned their third consecutive championship-game appearance with a 69-56 semifinal victory over Minnesota on Saturday.

Kulka completed 18 of 29 passes for 371 yards, distributing touchdowns to four receivers as Nashville improved to 12-1 and extended its winning streak to 10 games. The Kats completed a three-game season sweep of Michigan after winning the regular-season meetings 78-40 and 68-51.

Henry was equally explosive in defeat, completing 28 of 52 passes for 452 yards and 11 touchdowns. The quarterbacks combined for 823 yards and 20 touchdown passes in one of the most prolific postseason games in recent arena football history.

Nashville led 32-18 after the first quarter, but Michigan repeatedly threatened to turn the game into a possession-for-possession shootout. The Arsenal pulled within 54-46 at halftime and trailed 78-68 after three quarters before the Kats controlled the final period 14-8.

Kendyl Williams led Nashville with five receptions for 124 yards and four touchdowns. B.K. Smith Jr. caught six passes for 107 yards and three scores and added a 4-yard touchdown run, giving him four touchdowns. Malik Honeycutt finished with five catches for 100 yards and a score, while Jordan Gandy added two receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown.

The Kats needed nearly every one of them against a Michigan passing game that refused to disappear.

Jairus Grissom produced a staggering postseason performance for the Arsenal, catching 13 passes for 232 yards and six touchdowns. Karate Brenson added five receptions for 101 yards and a score, Daniel Williams III caught two touchdown passes and Trevante Long had eight receptions for 73 yards and two touchdowns.

The difference was Nashville’s ability to generate points beyond Kulka’s right arm.

Smith’s rushing touchdown gave the Kats a 10th offensive score, and linebacker Derrick Maxwell Jr. returned Henry’s only interception for a touchdown. Maxwell also finished with six tackles. That defensive score proved especially valuable in a game in which Michigan matched Nashville with 11 offensive touchdowns.

Nashville’s defensive front also applied the more disruptive pressure. Jaquan Artis recorded two sacks and forced a fumble, while Dejon Walden added a sack and recovered a fumble. Ezrah Thibodeaux also had a recovery. The Kats did not record a tackle for loss beyond their three sacks, but their timely takeaways created the separation their defense could not consistently produce through conventional stops.

Kulka threw one interception but otherwise handled Michigan’s pressure and repeatedly found favorable matchups downfield. His longest completion was a 48-yard touchdown to Smith. Williams averaged 24.8 yards per reception, Honeycutt averaged 20 and Gandy averaged 20 as Nashville averaged more than 20 yards on its 18 completed passes.

Henry’s 52 attempts reflected Michigan’s need to chase the Kats throughout the afternoon. The Arsenal generated 452 passing yards despite completing just under 54% of their throws, leaning heavily on Grissom as Nashville struggled to contain him in the high-motion passing game.

Michigan’s late-season surge ended with a 7-7 record. The fifth-seeded Arsenal had won five consecutive games, including a 70-36 quarterfinal rout of Kentucky, before running into the league’s highest-scoring and most complete team.

Nashville now gets the championship game at home because of its No. 1 seed. The Kats defeated Albany 78-69 during the regular season and will carry the league’s longest active winning streak into the title game.