On Saturday, the Birmingham Stallions and Orlando Storm faced off in what was supposed to be one of the most exciting matchups of the weekend. In front of a packed Stallions crowd, it was bound to be an entertaining affair; or, so we thought.
Heading into this game, the Orlando Storm were on a roll. At 3-0, Anthony Becht was well on his way to another playoff berth with a complete roster. Meanwhile, A.J. McCarron hasn’t had the same success – with the Stallions at 1-2, dropping two in a row.
Let’s take a look at what went down at Protective Stadium between two old friends, turned enemies – turned coaching counterparts.
First Quarter
Orlando received the opening kickoff, but went three and out as Birmingham’s defense made an early statement. The Stallions couldn’t capitalize, though, even after a special teams penalty on the Storm gifted Birmingham with a first down.
The Storm would put together a solid possession, with a key 3rd and 8 conversion to Elijhah Badger going for 36 yards. A few plays later, Jack Plummer connected with Cam Camper for a touchdown – his first reception of the year.
A muffed kickoff from Deon Cain backed up Birmingham on their next drive. They made it to midfield, but once again, would have to punt.
Second Quarter
Cam Camper continued to shine in the first half for Orlando, in his UFL debut. A 16 yard reception sparked the Storm into a groove, followed by a 34 yard scramble by Jack Plummer that put Orlando into scoring position. They would settle for a 20 yard field goal, though, making it a 10-0 ball game.
After both teams traded punts, it appeared like the Stallions would finally have the chance to get on the board. That wouldn’t be the case, however, as Anders Carlson whiffed a 46 yard kick – his first attempt of the season, after being signed earlier in the week.
The Storm would proceed to put together a quick drive that resulted in a field goal from Michael Lantz, giving Orlando a 13-0 advantage at halftime.
Third Quarter
Birmingham received the ball to kick off the second half, but the locker room talk didn’t generate any energy at all. They would go three and out, punting it away once again.
Both teams traded punts again, which then led to Orlando turning the ball over on downs. They crossed the 50, but Jashaun Corbin was stuffed by Amani Bledsoe and Ricky Correia on 4th and 3.
With Matt Corral’s struggles, A.J. McCarron made the decision to put Michael Hiers into the game. Birmingham would fail to get much going, though, turning it over on downs after a 4th and 12 opportunity inside Orlando territory failed.
Heading into the final fifteen minutes, Orlando still held a 13-0 advantage.
Fourth Quarter
The Storm’s offense struggled to generate much in the second half, but it was overshadowed by Birmingham’s issues. Michael Lantz connected on a 45 yarder, and Orlando took a 16-0 lead.
It seemed like the Stallions finally had a bit of life, when Hiers found Justyn Ross down the field for a 32 yard gain. It wouldn’t amount to anything, though, as penalties and poor execution resulted in a turnover on downs yet again.
The rest of the game was exactly like the rest: a slugfest. Orlando did enough to keep Birmingham off the field, eventually taking home the victory as the clock hit zeroes.
This was a historic victory for Orlando. It’s the first shutout that has ever happened in the UFL. We have not seen an offense score zero points in a spring football game since 2022, when the Michigan Panthers beat the Pittsburgh Maulers 24-0.
Standout Playmakers
WR Cam Camper: In his first action of the year, Camper put on a show. He had a deep completion taken away in the late second half, but still racked up four catches for 44 yards and a score on four targets. Becht had high praise for Cam following his performance:
“Everyone’s talking about all the depth at receiver on other teams, I got guys who are begging to dress that are really good players. Cam’s one of them. We didn’t flinch [missing K.J.]. In fact, he was dressing no matter what. He’s been diligent, he’s worked hard. He had a really good camp, but he’s young. I told him, to stay the course.”
DE Chris Garrett: Not surprisingly, Garrett was active up front. He had three tackles, 0.5 sacks, and a pass breakup at the line of scrimmage. La’Roi Glover has done a tremendous job coaching up this defensive front so far.
S Josh Minkins: Josh showed up for Orlando, making a few key stops defensively. He’s yet to get his hands on an interception, but with how he’s been playing as of late, it should come to fruition for him sooner than later.
Birmingham
LB Kyahva Tezino: Tezino, the veteran, did what he could in the loss. He led the Stallions with 12 tackles, eight of which were solo.
DE Izayah Green-May: The Stallions have struggled to consistently get after the quarterback, but that’s exactly what Izayah did on Saturday. He had five tackles, to go with two sacks and two tackles for loss. A couple of his stops were pivotal in giving Birmingham a fighting chance late.
Major Takeaways
This article is coming out a bit late, as Matt Corral was already traded to Orlando. It’s been evident that the QB play in Birmingham is not up to par with what McCarron has expected or desired, despite handing Matt the keys early in camp. Corral has been skittish, with a lack of confidence on full display in this loss to Orlando.
“We’re not playing the quarterback position the way it’s supposed to be played. We made too many mistakes. You’re third and manageable, and you false start which pushes you back. It’s attention to detail. We’re passing up open receivers, to try and throw it to someone else, and I couldn’t tell you why.” – A.J. McCarron
Birmingham’s offense was stuck in a rut all afternoon long. They had just seven first downs, with a pitiful 166 yards of offense. On third down, they were just 1-for-13. Absolutely brutal. Orlando’s defense had their number from the very first snap, dominating the trenches, which made Corral’s life difficult. The problem is, when receivers were open, Matt still couldn’t make the right reads.
Defensively, the Stallions played a strong game. They held Orlando to just 16 points, even with all of the opportunities that their offense gave for the Storm to get in a rhythm.
Not everything is flowers and butterflies for the Orlando Storm, albeit their defensive shutout. Donnie Abraham deserves a ton of credit, as the Storm put together an absolute masterclass. As seen in the statistics listed above, this was pure domination from their unit.
“They [Birmingham] do have a lot of talent. We’ve got a lot of talented defensive linemen. Our pass rush was great. They leaned on the quick game. When you have two edge guys like we do, they’re problems. You can’t just go back there and toss them down the field. I thought our secondary responded. I’d like to see our guys catch at least one of the five picks that were dropped. We have to take advantage of that. This game could have been ripped wide open, and we kept them hanging around.” – Anthony Becht
However, the offense has left much to be desired. The offensive line continues to be an issue, as Jack Plummer does not have enough time to get through progressions smoothly most of the time. Birmingham’s defensive line hasn’t been outstanding this year, yet they looked in control on Saturday.
If Orlando’s offense can start to click, though: watch out. They genuinely might win every game.
Final Thoughts
It’s incredibly unfortunate that the Birmingham Stallions played the worst game in franchise history on such a special day. It was an afternoon that featured a crowd of over 18,000 fans in attendance, with former HC Skip Holtz present to hype up the stadium, and do the ceremonial ball presentation. At 1-3, the Stallions have a lot of work to do to get back on track.
Next week, Orlando (4-0) hosts St. Louis (2-2). Meanwhile, the Stallions host DC (3-1).
What are your thoughts on this game between the Orlando Storm and Birmingham Stallions? Which players stood out to you? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
