Just a couple of weeks later, the Birmingham Stallions and Orlando Storm will face off for a second time this UFL season. This time, the game will be held in Orlando, at Inter & Co. Stadium.
The Birmingham Stallions are in a freefall, losing four in a row. They were shut out at home a couple of weeks ago by Orlando, and have not played a complete game in all three phases in a very long time. Meanwhile, the Storm are fresh off their first loss of the year, knocked off by Ricky Proehl’s Battlehawks at home last week.
Let’s take a look at what we can expect ahead of this matchup. It’s another pivotal head-to-head game for A.J. McCarron and Anthony Becht.
Blockbuster Trade
Before we get into anything, we cannot ignore the massive trade that these two teams executed with each other following their week four affair. Anthony Becht agreed to trade QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to Birmingham, in return for QB Matt Corral and DL Amani Bledsoe.
It’s a trade that completely favored Orlando, getting a starting-caliber quarterback, alongside one of the top interior players in this league.
That said, it is rather interesting that Becht agreed to that trade prior to this week six matchup. We saw flashes of why DTR was such a sought-after quarterback by UFL teams over the past year – he’s electric. While A.J. McCarron had to pay a premium price, picking up Thompson-Robinson might be the move that saves their season – and it starts with beating his former team on the road this weekend.
“DTR is a very good quarterback. He did a lot of good things in the game against DC. I will say this: he knows us very well. And, we know him very well. We got two-for-one. At the end of the day, everybody’s got to go out there and perform. We’ll see how it looks on Sunday, but we’re fully ready for their best shot. We’d be silly not to think that they are a pissed off bunch heading into this football game. With us, coming off of a loss, I think that helps us focus in a bit more on our next opponent.” – Storm HC Anthony Becht
Quarterback Play
The Orlando Storm have gotten consistent play and leadership out of Jack Plummer. This past weekend, though, we saw a few breakdowns – largely due to the lack of protection. When Jack doesn’t have time to throw the football, the offense immediately goes flat. He doesn’t have the mobility to escape sacks, despite having some legitimate wheels in his back pocket. Jack is at his best when he can get through his progressions.
Birmingham’s offense was elevated to another level with Dorian Thompson-Robinson at the helm. He’s not afraid to use his legs, something McCarron and Siskey were begging Corral to do through the first four weeks. DTR has plenty of growth to do within the system, but we saw the potential against DC as Birmingham posted 28 points. As Dorian continues to settle into his new team, the sky is the limit for what they’re capable of. He’s accurate, and has serious velocity on the football when it gets out of his hand. We should be in store for a fun duel between two former teammates.
Standout Playmakers
With Thompson-Robinson throwing for over 300 yards in his Stallions debut last week, quite a few receivers were able to get in the spotlight. Daewood Davis emerged as a reliable target, with three receptions for 49 yards. Jaydon Mickens went crazy against his former team, with over 100 yards.
TE Jordan Thomas needs more targets in the red zone. He’s a mismatch across the board, especially when lined out wide instead of lining up inside the hashes. Get him the football, and Birmingham’s offense becomes even more dynamic.
Orlando’s Elijhah Badger was named to our All-UFL midseason team, and for good reason. He’s a guy that Plummer continues to find when he needs a play to be made, with a touchdown that nearly sparked a comeback against St. Louis last week. Watch for WR Cam Camper, too, who had 44 yards and a score against Birmingham two weeks ago.
We’re waiting for Orlando to have an explosive game on the ground. Their backs are all very talented, with each being able to catch coming out of the backfield. It’s only a matter of time before Jashaun Corbin and/or Elijah Dotson break off a large touchdown run.
The Injury Report
Great news for the Storm: K.J. Hamler is back in action. He missed a couple of games due to hamstring injuries, but will return against Birmingham this week. His playmaking abilities have been missed, with breakaway speed that few in this league possess. Hamler will also help take a bit of the pressure off of Plummer and this offense.
The Stallions also see the return of RB Anthony McFarland, who missed a week. Anthony’s explosiveness, paired up with DTR at the helm, could be legitimately scary.
Orlando will be missing safety Nate Meadors, a veteran who came up with a key interception last week. Birmingham’s a bit dinged up as well, with safety Hudson clark and center Andrew Raym out.
Depth Chart Notes
With Andrew Raym out at center, the Stallions will see Noah Johnson shift back into his starting role. Noah started for three seasons with the Michigan Panthers.
The Storm re-signed safety Jason Taylor II this week. He was with the team in camp. Taylor will back up Jaylon Mahoney and Josh Minkins at the position.
O-Line Struggles
What’s been a bit of a tell-tale sign for both of these organizations: issues up front. Orlando was poised for success from this unit, having brought in Cole Schneider over from Birmingham – and of course, featuring Marc Colombo as the Offensive Line Coach.
However, that hasn’t exactly been the case. This past weekend was a great example of exactly that, as Jack Plummer was pressured 10 times on the night. Samuel Jackson and Zuri Henry have struggled in their starting positions at tackle, something that needs to be cleaned up if Orlando wants to be taken seriously in the Championship race.
Birmingham, on the other hand, has been very inconsistent. It helps that DTR is now the team’s quarterback, as his mobility escaping said pressure will benefit them quite a bit. However, Birmingham has to be aware of Chris Garrett and Keshawn Banks – one of the top pass rushing duos in the UFL this season.
Birmingham’s Defense: Who Are They?
Kevin Sherrer has got to get his defense back under control. A couple of weeks ago against Orlando, they played an outstanding game. The Storm scored just 16 points, and were very limited in the second half. Birmingham’s secondary kept Plummer from pushing the ball down the field, and up front, guys like Izayah Green-May were outstanding, notching a couple of clutch sacks.
Week five told a completely different story. Jordan Ta’amu absolutely it up that secondary, throwing for 275 yards and four touchdowns. They were beat over the top time and time again, something that could be of concern with K.J. Hamler back in the lineup for Orlando.
“Our defense played well the last time against Orlando. Held them to one touchdown. Gifted them three points in the second half. We really gifted them as an offense, at least three more points. It’s part of football. I think the biggest thing for us in the secondary is communication. Getting guys on the same page. We can’t give up explosive plays, we have to limit those. We need to communicate from a calls standpoint. Against DC, we had plays where it got executed up front, but on the backend, they were doing something different.” – Stallions HC A.J. McCarron
Coaching Matchup
A.J. McCarron, Birmingham Stallions: It’s been a rough outing for McCarron through five weeks as a Head Coach. He’s had to wear a ton of hats, something he learned quickly after taking this gig in the UFL. At 1-4, there are no more excuses: A.J. has to get this team back on track before the season is entirely lost. He’ll have another crack at his former Head Coach, Anthony Becht, who shut out A.J.’s Stallions just two weeks ago.
Orlando Storm, Anthony Becht: Becht is the perfect example of a coach who keeps his team focused during adversity. He opted not to lay into his guys down 25-0 against St. Louis, instead, just reminding them who they are and what they are capable of – which sparked a 17 point onslaught. At 4-1, Orlando is still well on their way to a playoff berth.
“We really exemplified the positives out of that game against St. Louis, because there’s a lot of them. We understand that we have to make some corrections. That first half, with the other eight halves that we’ve played this season, that’s not us. We’ve acknowledged it, we’ve made the corrections, and we always have some thick skin meetings. We hold each other accountable, and that starts with me.” – Anthony Becht
Final Thoughts
The United Football League certainly sees this as one of the prime matchups of the week, with a 4pm ET slot on FOX. It’s a game that has some epic storylines. Not only will A.J. McCarron and Anthony Becht face off again, but this time Birmingham has DTR – a quarterback that couldn’t win the battle in Orlando, despite many originally predicting that he would be the starter over Jack Plummer.
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Full Roster Breakdowns: Birmingham, Orlando
Are you excited for this game between the Birmingham Stallions and Orlando Storm? Who do you think will win this time around? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
