Week seven in the UFL will wrap up on Sunday afternoon. The Houston Gamblers (2-4) host the Orlando Storm (4-2), playing each other for the first time this season.
The Storm are in a bit of a freefall. They’ve lost two straight at home, falling to #3 in the overall standings (after being the last undefeated team through four weeks). As we wrote about earlier this week, though, it is not time to hit the panic button in Orlando. They will be okay.
On the other hand, it’s been a nightmare of a year for Kevin Sumlin and the Houston Gamblers. Even with two wins, they’ve had a difficult time keeping quarterbacks healthy. Hunter Dekkers, Nolan Henderson, and Taulia Tagovailoa have all been injured. With just four games left – there is no more room for error.
Let’s take a look at what we can expect from Shell Energy Stadium on Sunday.
Quarterback Play
Jack Plummer has been one of the top quarterbacks in the UFL all season long. He’s been incredibly efficient, and continues to protect the ball (at least, through the air), with only one interception on the year. Sure, there’s been a couple dropped picks – but overall, he has played clean ball. Jack also has some mobility, too, something he needs to lean into a bit more frequently when pressured. When Jack has time to throw, he puts on a clinic. Plummer is coming off a 327 yard passing game against Birmingham, his highest number of the year.
For Houston, who is their quarterback? It remains a mystery. The signs all point towards Hunter Dekkers being the starter, as he should be healthy. Nolan Henderson couldn’t play in the second half last week with a hamstring injury, so one would assume that leaves him sidelined this week. Dekkers hasn’t taken a snap since week two, but prior to a shoulder injury, he was playing good football. Hunter has velocity on the ball, and also has some wheels to him when he gets outside the pocket.
Standout Playmakers
The Orlando Storm feature no shortage of quality talent offensively. Their backfield hasn’t reached their full potential yet – and they’ve been pretty solid this year to begin with. Jashaun Corbin has lost a couple fumbles as of late, but there is no denying that Corbin and Elijah Dotson are a deadly duo coming out of the backfield.
Through the air, WR’s K.J. Hamler and Elijhah Badger continue to play at an elite level. Cam Camper has shown his potential, as well, despite a couple of rookie mistakes on his end. Chris Rowland? He’s Chris Rowland. Consistent. He always provides a spark when the team needs one.
What to watch for: Houston’s linebackers are traditionally not the best in coverage. This will present mismatches for Orlando to exploit. Both their backers can catch – and tight ends Steven Stilianos+Shawn Bowman have been more involved lately as well.
Jontre Kirklin has been a little quiet lately (and, threw an interception last week) – but he’s due for a big game. If Kirklin can finally have Dekkers back in the lineup at quarterback, that’s big news. Jontre was one of Hunter’s favorite targets before he got sidelined.
Marcus Yarns has been a bright spot all year for Houston. He only got three touches last week, which cannot happen again. Yarns is exactly the type of explosive that the Gamblers desperately need to give this offense a spark.
“Orlando is a good football team. Their defensive front is really good. They’ve got a good system. We had a joint practice with them, so we understand, personnel wise, who they are. They’ve had some changes since week one, but probably not as many as us. You’ve got two teams with their backs against the wall, so that should lead to a fun football game.” – Gamblers HC Kevin Sumlin
The Injury Report
Both teams appear to be relatively healthy this week. It is worth noting that Nolan Henderon is not listed on the injury report, despite missing the entire second half on Friday night. Taulia Tagovailoa was released, so he isn’t here either.
Orlando will be without starting safety Jaylen Mahoney, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. The same goes for cornerback Mark Gilbert, who was a quality rotational piece for this defense. Nate Meadors’ status remains in question, dealing with a right hamstring strain. Nate missed last week already – and now with the loss of Mahoney, it’s imperative that he can ramp up quickly.
Depth Chart Notes
The Houston Gamblers have quite the depth chart fiasco. At quarterback, Hunter Dekkers is listed as QB1. Right behind him is John Rhys Plumlee – who just signed a couple of days ago. One has to wonder if Nolan Henderson was transferred to injured reserve, or what exactly happened to him, because he is QB4. Jontre Kirklin, the wide receiver, will be the team’s emergency quarterback this week.
Defensively, there isn’t a ton of movement for the Gamblers. CB Damon Arnette appears to have locked himself in the starting rotation, after a back and forth start to the year.
See also
Lately, Mike Edwards has been starting at right guard for Orlando. That trend continues into this week. Safety Avery Young could end up being active, after just signing yesterday, depending on Nate Meadors’ availability.
Orlando’s Defensive Inconsistencies
Donnie Abraham is one of the top defensive coordinators in spring football. He has been nothing but a rock for Anthony Becht throughout this entire process, and he’s brought all of that and more to Orlando since they switched teams.
The Storm, defensively, have played well. That said, they have left some to be desired. Dropped interceptions, and their inability to generate turnovers on a weekly basis, has held them back at times. Orlando only has three interceptions through six weeks – even though they’ve had the opportunity to pick off at least 10-12 passes.
“Defensively, we have a lot of new pieces. There are times where, man – we should have a lot of interceptions this year, and we don’t. Because we didn’t catch the ball. We haven’t excelled in that area. We feel like we’re a defense that’s bend not break, we’ve gotten stops. But, we haven’t capitalized on those turnovers. For us, we have to start a little faster on defense.” – Anthony Becht
Orlando only has four takeaways, and after three lost fumbles last week, that’s put them at -1 on the year. It’s a wild statistic, considering how clean the Storm have been throughout the season. Becht also emphasized the importance of wrapping up and tackling. Orlando has missed 46 tackles through six games.
What is concerning: injuries. They have now lost a couple of defensive backs in a span of a week. Orlando is allowing the fewest points per game of any defense in the UFL (16.2/game), leaning into that “bend not break” mindset. However, with some dings and bruises throughout that defense, it’s something Houston could exploit at home.
If Orlando plays their brand of football, they easily should take this game. Houston is dead last in the UFL averaging just 150.8 passing yards per game.
Coaching Matchup
Houston Gamblers, Kevin Sumlin: Sumlin hasn’t had a pretty outing so far in his return to spring football. His team has been rather undisciplined at times, and injuries have killed any positive momentum they may have had. At 2-4, the Gamblers are staring down the barrel of another losing season.
Orlando Storm, Anthony Becht: There are no excuses for losing games. Orlando has lost two in a row. That said, Becht is the exact person you want in charge when a situation like this is playing out. He’s been in these positions before, i.e. last year in St. Louis. Anthony holds this team, and himself, accountable. That in and of itself is a sign of quality leadership.
“The identity of our team is, we feel like we run the ball well. We may not have gotten the pops we wanted, but we had some spurts in that game. Our quarterback, he’s hot. How do we play off of that? I feel like we have more options to do better things.” – Anthony Becht
Final Thoughts
This is an absolute must-win game for the Houston Gamblers. Orlando is a bit vulnerable right now, having lost two in a row. While the Storm are the clear favorites, the Gamblers are scrappy – and with a healthy Dekkers – are capable of doing some damage. Regardless of the outcome, this should be an entertaining matchup on Sunday.
The action all kicks off at 5pm ET, on FOX. You can secure your tickets for the game here.
Full Roster Breakdowns: Houston, Orlando
What are your thoughts on this upcoming matchup between the Orlando Storm and Houston Gamblers? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
