4 Takeaways: UFL Week 4

[ad_1] The Orlando Storm — the one undefeated staff after Week 4 — shut out the Birmingham Stallions by double digits this weekend, 16-0. It was a historic feat, marking the primary time a staff has been held scoreless within the common season.

Orlando’s protection, led by affiliate head coach and defensive coordinator Donnie Abraham, has been the important thing to the staff’s success by the primary a part of the season. Particularly, Orlando has been successfully stopping the run, holding opponents to a league-low 61.3 dashing yards a contest and a league-best 13 factors per sport. Defensive finish Keyshawn Banks leads Orlando with 4.0 sacks, whereas security Josh Minkins tops the staff with 21 tackles and two move breakups.

"We spend a whole lot of time speaking about everyone else’s protection, and Donnie [has] stood the take a look at of time," Orlando head coach Anthony Becht stated. "Donnie [has] obtained 4 years of movie on the defensive scheme and what we’re doing."

Elsewhere in Week 4, two groups obtained their first victories of the season. The Louisville Kings (1-3) performed their second consecutive time beyond regulation sport, this time incomes a slim 24-22 victory over the Houston Gamblers (1-3). Head coach Ted Ginn Jr. returned to the sideline for the Columbus Aviators (1-3), offering a spark for his staff, which handed the Dallas Renegades (3-1) their first defeat of the season, 28-14. It was the Renegades' third sport performed in 11 days.

Lastly, the defending champion DC Defenders (3-1) stored rolling, incomes their third victory in a row by avenging an opening-season loss to the St. Louis Battlehawks (2-2) with a 28-22 win.

Nonetheless, the large information over the weekend was two monster trades for quarterbacks. The Stallions moved on from struggling starter Matt Corral, buying and selling the Ole Miss product and defensive finish Amani Bledsoe to Orlando for backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson. In a separate transaction, the Defenders acquired Jason Bean from the Kings in change for Mike DiLiello.

Listed here are my takeaways from Week 4 of the UFL:

1. Down and out in Birmingham, AJ McCarron makes an enormous transfer Within the staff’s residence opener this season, the Stallions suffered an embarrassing, humbling defeat to the visiting Storm — in entrance of 18,000 followers, nonetheless. Becht obtained the perfect of his former participant, McCarron, within the first matchup between the 2 now-head coaches. The lone brilliant spots for Birmingham had been a sideline look by former three-time spring soccer champion head coach Skip Holtz, who stepped away from the Stallions this offseason, and a halftime efficiency by Gucci Mane. The Stallions wore stickers on the again of their helmets honoring Holtz’s father, legendary Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz, who died on the age of 89 earlier this yr.

McCarron changed an ineffective Corral in favor of backup and hometown product Michael Hiers. Nonetheless, he didn’t fare a lot better, finishing simply 46.7% of his passes for 60 yards, with no landing passes or interceptions.

Previous to this season, the Stallions had misplaced simply 4 regular-season video games in two years. Nonetheless, Birmingham has misplaced three already in a disappointing 1-3 begin.

"All the things’s on the desk," McCarron stated. "Trades to [quarterbacks] change — every thing’s on the desk."

McCarron stayed true to his phrase, making a transfer for Thompson-Robinson, a fifth-round decide by the Cleveland Browns within the 2023 NFL Draft who additionally frolicked with the Philadelphia Eagles. A dual-threat quarterback, the UCLA product completed his faculty profession as the college’s all-time chief in whole offense (12,536), completions (860), whole touchdowns (116), landing passes (88) and passing yards (10,710). Nonetheless, Jack Plummer received the beginning job over Thompson-Robinson in a detailed competitors in Orlando forward of the season.

It’s a system Birmingham has used with nice success. J’Mar Smith, Alex McGough and Adrian Martinez had been all athletic quarterbacks who led the Stallions to championships. We’ll see if DTR can flip Birmingham’s offense round.

Giddy up!

2. Louisville goes with Chandler Rogers as beginning QB The Kings shifting Bean to DC permits Louisville head coach Chris Redman to raise backup quarterback Rogers because the staff’s starter. Bean has the third-most passing yards within the UFL by 4 video games (819) however has solely accomplished 47% of his passes. Rogers, a 6-foot, 200-pound product out of Cal, is a dual-threat quarterback who has thrown for 160 passing yards in three video games this season.

The Kings additionally get a reliable backup in DiLiello, who threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns in 2025.

3. Battlehawks WR Hakeem Butler can nonetheless make massive performs One factor that has not modified in St. Louis is Butler persevering with to create jaw-dropping performs when it issues most. Regardless of the Battlehawks' powerful street loss to the Defenders this week, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Butler placed on a present, ending with two catches for 109 yards on three targets. These numbers included a 75-yard catch-and-run for a rating on a display move, together with out-jumping three defenders on a Hail Mary throw on the finish of the half. For the season, the previous UFL Offensive Participant of the 12 months has 10 receptions for 311 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

4. Houston’s Marcus Yarns turns into first 100-yard rusher this season Regardless of a tricky, late-game loss that dropped the Gamblers to 1-3 on the yr, Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin discovered a blueprint for shifting the soccer on offense: working the soccer. The chief for that effort final week was Yarns, who completed with eight carries for 111 dashing yards, together with a 68-yard run for a rating. The Gamblers totaled a season-high 206 yards on the bottom, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.

Count on to see extra of Yarns toting the rock for the Gamblers.

4 ½: What’s Subsequent In Week 5, issues are set to kick off on Friday night with the Defenders dealing with the Stallions. There's one sport on Saturday evening, with the Battlehawks dealing with the Storm. Issues come to a detailed with a doubleheader on Sunday, with the Aviators taking up the Gamblers within the afternoon, adopted by the Renegades internet hosting the Kings in a while.