{"id":265333,"date":"2026-05-10T02:39:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T02:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/265333\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T02:39:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T02:39:14","slug":"houston-gamblers-vs-orlando-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/265333\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Gamblers vs. Orlando Storm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Week seven in the UFL<\/a> will wrap up on Sunday afternoon. The Houston Gamblers<\/a> (2-4) host the Orlando Storm<\/a> (4-2), playing each other for the first time this season.<\/p>\n

The Storm are in a bit of a freefall. They\u2019ve 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<\/a>, though, it is not time to hit the panic button in Orlando. They will be okay.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, it\u2019s been a nightmare of a year for Kevin Sumlin and the Houston Gamblers. Even with two wins, they\u2019ve had a difficult time keeping quarterbacks healthy. Hunter Dekkers, Nolan Henderson, and Taulia Tagovailoa have all been injured. With just four games left \u2013 there is no more room for error.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at what we can expect from Shell Energy Stadium on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Quarterback Play<\/p>\n

Jack Plummer has been one of the top quarterbacks in the UFL all season long. He\u2019s been incredibly efficient, and continues to protect the ball (at least, through the air), with only one interception on the year. Sure, there\u2019s been a couple dropped picks \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t play in the second half last week with a hamstring injury, so one would assume that leaves him sidelined this week. Dekkers hasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Standout Playmakers<\/p>\n

The Orlando Storm feature no shortage of quality talent offensively. Their backfield hasn\u2019t reached their full potential yet \u2013 and they\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n

Through the air, WR\u2019s 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\u2019s Chris Rowland. Consistent. He always provides a spark when the team needs one.<\/p>\n

What to watch for: Houston\u2019s linebackers are traditionally not the best in coverage. This will present mismatches for Orlando to exploit. Both their backers can catch \u2013 and tight ends Steven Stilianos+Shawn Bowman have been more involved lately as well.<\/p>\n

Jontre Kirklin has been a little quiet lately (and, threw an interception last week) \u2013 but he\u2019s due for a big game. If Kirklin can finally have Dekkers back in the lineup at quarterback, that\u2019s big news. Jontre was one of Hunter\u2019s favorite targets before he got sidelined.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrlando is a good football team. Their defensive front is really good. They\u2019ve got a good system. We had a joint practice with them, so we understand, personnel wise, who they are. They\u2019ve had some changes since week one, but probably not as many as us. You\u2019ve got two teams with their backs against the wall, so that should lead to a fun football game.\u201d \u2013 Gamblers HC Kevin Sumlin<\/p>\n

The Injury Report<\/p>\n

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\u2019t here either.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 status remains in question, dealing with a right hamstring strain. Nate missed last week already \u2013 and now with the loss of Mahoney, it\u2019s imperative that he can ramp up quickly.<\/p>\n

Depth Chart Notes<\/p>\n

The Houston Gamblers have quite the depth chart fiasco. At quarterback, Hunter Dekkers is listed as QB1. Right behind him is John Rhys Plumlee \u2013 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\u2019s emergency quarterback this week.<\/p>\n

Defensively, there isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

See also<\/p>\n

\"Tom\"Tom<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u2019 availability.<\/p>\n

Orlando\u2019s Defensive Inconsistencies<\/p>\n

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\u2019s brought all of that and more to Orlando since they switched teams.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 even though they\u2019ve had the opportunity to pick off at least 10-12 passes.<\/p>\n

\u201cDefensively, we have a lot of new pieces. There are times where, man \u2013 we should have a lot of interceptions this year, and we don\u2019t. Because we didn\u2019t catch the ball. We haven\u2019t excelled in that area. We feel like we\u2019re a defense that\u2019s bend not break, we\u2019ve gotten stops. But, we haven\u2019t capitalized on those turnovers. For us, we have to start a little faster on defense.\u201d \u2013 Anthony Becht<\/p>\n

Orlando only has four takeaways, and after three lost fumbles last week, that\u2019s put them at -1 on the year. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cbend not break\u201d mindset. However, with some dings and bruises throughout that defense, it\u2019s something Houston could exploit at home.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Coaching Matchup<\/p>\n

Houston Gamblers, Kevin Sumlin: Sumlin hasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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\u2019s hot. How do we play off of that? I feel like we have more options to do better things.\u201d \u2013 Anthony Becht<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 and with a healthy Dekkers \u2013 are capable of doing some damage. Regardless of the outcome, this should be an entertaining matchup on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The action all kicks off at 5pm ET, on FOX. You can secure your tickets for the game here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Full Roster Breakdowns: Houston<\/a>, Orlando<\/a><\/p>\n

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!<\/a><\/p>\n

\"XFL,\"XFL,<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Week seven in the UFL will wrap up on Sunday afternoon. The Houston Gamblers (2-4) host the Orlando…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265334,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[50490,75519,114259,114262,114257,96692,96696,114261,75521,114260,114256,139,141,140,30210,114258,50491,50496,96697,112952],"class_list":["post-265333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-anthony-becht","tag-chris-rowland","tag-donnie-abraham","tag-houston-gamblers","tag-hunter-dekkers","tag-jack-plummer","tag-jashaun-corbin","tag-jontre-kirklin","tag-k-j-hamler","tag-kevin-sumlin","tag-marcus-yarns","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-orlando-storm","tag-steven-stilianos","tag-ufl","tag-ufl-2026","tag-ufl-preview","tag-ufl-week-seven"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}