St. Louis Battlehawks Hand Storm Their First Loss In Orlando

The United Football League (UFL) continued their week five slate tonight. Anthony Becht and the Orlando Storm faced off against his old team, the St. Louis Battlehawks, in what was bound to be an entertaining affair between two likely playoff-bound organizations.

Heading into this game, the Battlehawks were 2-2. They need to find some consistency, struggling to put it together in all three phases from week to week. Despite trading for Luis Perez, the Battlehawks are sticking with Harrison Frost at QB – for now.

On the other hand, Orlando is 4-0, sitting as the lone undefeated team left in the UFL. Becht has done a tremendous job with this franchise so far, which is no surprise given his success in The Lou.

Let’s take a look at what went down at Inter & Co. Stadium on Saturday night.

First Quarter

The St. Louis Battlehawks got off to a fast start, for the first time this season. Harrison Frost connected down the middle of the field on a couple of large plays with Hakeem Butler and Tyler Neville. Kylin James ran it in from a yard out, and St. Louis took an early 6-0 lead.

Defensively, that energy carried over. Jack Plummer and the Storm stalled out midfield due to a sack from Demone Harris. Since they crossed the 50, Orlando had to go for it on 4th down, failing to get much going with Corbin out of the backfield, and St. Louis took over.

The Harrison Frost experience truly is unique. After marching the team into Orlando territory, Frost threw a pass into the back of an Orlando defender, which bounced up into the air for Amani Bledsoe – who gladly made the interception.

St. Louis would generate another turnover on downs, however. Jack Plummer interestingly enough checked it down to Elijah Dotson on 4th and 4, and he was smacked behind the line of scrimmage by Michael Ojemudia.

Heading into the next period, St. Louis was deep inside Storm territory, following a one handed grab by Blake Jackson.

Second Quarter

The Battlehawks continued to capitalize on their short fields. Harrison Frost used his legs to pick up a key first down, and then drove the ball to James Bostic in the back of the end zone, who made a ridiculous grab in traffic to give the Battlehawks a 12-0 advantage.

Orlando’s offense continued to struggle. Their offensive line was not playing well, as St. Louis dominated the line of scrimmage. Cam Camper couldn’t haul in a deep throw from Plummer, and the Storm punted it away.

Another strong drive from St. Louis was put together, getting inside the five. However, a penalty on Tyler Neville pushed the team backwards, and they settled for a field goal. The punter, Ryan Sanborn, had to make the attempt, with Tucker McCann inactive tonight. After missing two XP’s, Sanborn blasted the 36 yard field goal right down the middle.

The unfortunate errors for Orlando continued to pile up. Jashaun Corbin tripped over his own man and fumbled, with Michael Ojemudia recovering for the Battlehawks.

This time, Orlando’s defense would make a play. Harrison Frost chucked the ball down the field, but miscommunications with Steven McBride led to an easy interception for Nate Meadors, the former Battlehawk.

The Storm could not get out of their own way. A questionable facemask called on Chris Rowland negated a large gain, and then Plummer was sacked yet again – forcing another punt.

Heading into the second half, the Battlehawks led 18-0. They had a chance to score before the half, and despite the rocky start from Sanborn kicking the ball, he connected on a 40 yarder.

Third Quarter

Orlando’s offense continued to look lethargic in the third quarter. They turned it over on downs yet again, as Jordan Williams came up with a PBU on 4th and 1.

Jarveon Howard burst out of the half with a 31 yard gain, which set up a Harrison Frost rushing score – putting St. Louis on top 25-0.

After what felt like an eternity, Orlando finally put it together. A 10-play, 82 yard drive resulted in an Elijhah Badger touchdown grab, following a clutch 4th and 1 conversion from Jack Plummer. At 25-7, there was still plenty of time left to mount a comeback.

Even with a poor kickoff from Michael Lantz, Orlando’s defense fed off of that energy. Pheldarius Payne swung Frost to the ground on third down, resulting in another punt from St. Louis.

Here’s where things got interesting. An offsides penalty on Orlando caused the Battlehawks to retry their punt – and it was blocked, setting up Orlando at the one yard line.

Elijah Dotson ran the ball in from a yard out in a heavy package from the Storm, and just like that it was 25-14.

St. Louis was feeling the pressure, as they would turn it over on downs. Despite a 2nd and 1 opportunity on the +50, three straight incompletions would lead to a free possession for Orlando. The Storm went three and out, though, and we went into the final quarter with a 25-14 ball game.

Fourth Quarter

Orlando’s defense got another stop, as Isaiah Mack shut down their drive with a huge sack. However, the Storm’s offense died out quick – and Michael Lantz just missed on a 56 yard field goal attempt, keeping it an 11 point game.

St. Louis’ offense was dead in the water through this second half. A penalty pushed them backwards yet again, and the Storm put together another defensive stop.

It was a rather bizarre drive for Orlando on their ensuing possession. They took way too much time between each play, as Jack Plummer was making line of scrimmage reads that ate away at the clock. The Storm settled for a field goal, and with just 1:56 left on the clock, had to attempt a 4th and 12 offensive play in place of an onsides kick.

Despite just two receptions for 16 yards this season, Sam Wiglusz came up clutch. He made a ridiculous catch on the onsides attempt, giving Orlando hope.

That glimpse of light wouldn’t last long. The Battlehawks’ defense shored up, with Corey Chamblin drawing up perfect pressure to solidify a win. Jordan Mosley’s blitz on 4th and 13 resulted in an incompletion, and the Battlehawks took care of business, 25-17 on the road.

Standout Playmakers

RB Jarveon Howard: Howard put up numbers, with 12 carries for 59 yards. He hasn’t found the end zone the last two games, but his bursts for 30 and 50 yards have been pivotal tide turners in important moments.

WR Steven McBride: Steven had himself a nice outing, with four receptions for 53 yards in the win. McBride came into the year as an under-the-radar prospect, but has a second gear he can shift into – which was evident on multiple occasions.

DE Demone Harris: Harris has proven to be a major offseason addition to St. Louis. He racked up four tackles, a sack, a TFL, and a pass breakup.

S Jordan Mosley: Mosley, the veteran, was key in this win. He had eight tackles, leading St. Louis, a PBU – and his late pressure led to a throwaway that won St. Louis the game.

Orlando

WR Elijhah Badger: Badger continues to flash, with four receptions for 37 yards and a score. His touchdown sparked what was nearly a big comeback for the Storm.

DL Isaiah Buggs: Isaiah has been outstanding in the early goings with Orlando. He had six tackles on the night (three solo), alongside two TFL’s in the second half that sparked key defensive stops.

Major Takeaways

The Orlando Storm have had a difficult time blocking for Jack Plummer. He was running for his life the entire night, which was on full display on their final drive. Orlando was 3-14 on third down, and 2-6 on fourth down. This was largely in part to their inability to generate positive plays on first and second downs.

There isn’t anything to necessarily panic about, but it’s clear that the Storm need to make improvements to their offense to stay on top in the UFL. Running the ball wasn’t easy, as their backs combined for just 40 yards on 13 carries.

St. Louis put together a more complete game tonight, something we’ve been waiting to see. Their defense stood strong, even with a late surge from Orlando in the second half. Corey Chamblin has proven that his unit can compete with the best of the best. They shut out the Storm in the first half, and have displayed legitimate tenacity against DC and Birmingham.

Harrison Frost is an enigma. He’s spastic, and makes some really poor decisions – but the upside is there. Ricky Proehl and A.J. Smith are committed to developing him, and tonight, that decision paid off. Smith called a very good game, too. St. Louis came into this game with the worst efficiency of any offense in the red zone. They were 3-4 on those trips, which was the difference maker.

Final Thoughts

Five weeks into the season, and no one is undefeated. This was a major win for the St. Louis Battlehawks to really establish themselves in a playoff berth – as no one even has two wins underneath them (yet). That will change tomorrow, but this was a crucial win for them to keep pace.

Orlando, as we said, don’t panic. This team will be just fine. As Anthony Becht said post-game, you can’t win them all.

The UFL continues tomorrow with a double header on ABC. Those games will start at 12pm ET.

Did you enjoy this matchup between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Orlando Storm? Which players impressed you the most? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!