In Week 2 of the UFL Season, the Louisville Kings suffered a tough 19-9 loss to the Orlando Storm on Saturday night. Head coach Chris Redman acknowledged that while "the team played with a lot of effort, and it was a really good, competitive game, we have some things to work on offensively and clean some things up, run the ball better, but I still have a lot of confidence in this team. There is a lot of talent and good players in that locker room.”
Five Takeaways From The Loss To The Storm
Unfortunately, the Kings are now 0-2 and face an uphill battle in a short 10-game season. Here are the top five takeaways from the game.
Strong Defensive Play
For the second week in a row, Jamie Sharper's defense shut down some of the UFL's top talent and kept the Kings in the game. Last week against the Birmingham Stallions, the Louisville defense limited the three-time champions to 15 points. Cornerback Cam Dantzler held Deon Cain, one of the UFL’s top receivers, to two catches for 14 yards.
Similarly, this week against the Storm, the Kings' defense held their own against All-UFL Team standouts Jashaun Corbin and Chris Rowland.
Louisville OLB Cam Gill played an outstanding game, recording six tackles (three solo), three TFLs, and 2.0 sacks. His late-game sack of Storm quarterback Jack Plummer led to a 2nd and 17. Gill was all over Corbin, limiting the league’s top running back in 2025 to 51 yards on 19 carries.
The Kings' rookie linebacker Jaheim Thomas led both teams with 12 tackles, with 10 of those solo. Travis Bell and Mekhi Garner each contributed seven tackles for Louisville, with Garner adding a key pass breakup.
Despite being on the losing end of the score, the Kings' defense played a strong game. Storms DE Isaiah Buggs had two huge back-to-back stops for Orlando in the 3rd quarter. But overall, aside from the coverage breakdown in K.J. Hamler's touchdown, the Louisville defense was superior. The Kings' defense totaled 71 tackles (44 solo) compared to Orlando’s 41 tackles with 24 solo. Each team had one interception and 2.0 sacks.
The Games Most Exciting Plays
The most thrilling moment in the game belonged to the Kings. Former Jacksonville Jaguars' cornerback and UFL newcomer Deantre Prince grabbed a stunning end zone interception off Plummer and ran it back 47 yards. Prince was another standout for the Kings' defense, contributing three tackles (two solo) and two pass breakups along with the interception.
Unfortunately, it was the second-most exciting play, Hamler’s touchdown, that proved to be the difference- maker for Orlando’s victory.
Quarterback Collapse
There’s no sugar coating it; Louisville Kings' quarterback Jason Bean had an atrocious game, completing only four of his fifteen passes for 49 yards. Despite a strong opening game last week, where Bean recorded 226 yards with one touchdown, he failed to establish any rhythm on Saturday night.
Chandler Rogers, making his UFL debut, proved to be the stronger quarterback of the night. Rogers played an impressive game, completing 13/20 passes for 161 yards. He demonstrated a solid rapport with Kaden Prather, TE Tre’ McKitty, and UFL veteran JaVonta Payton. Rogers was also the team’s lead rusher with one heads-up scramble that gained 12 yards.
During the game, Coach Redman praised Rogers as "a smart kid who makes a lot of good decisions.”
Unfortunately, Rogers' lone mistake proved costly when he threw a late-game pass picked off by Orlando safety Mishael Powell.
Making matters worse, the Kings' offense was completely shut out in the second half, and this has to change.
The Running Game
When your quarterback has one scramble for 12 yards and is the team’s leading rusher, it’s a sign that the running game was nonexistent. All three running backs, Benny Snell, Jaden Shirden, and Ian Wheeler, combined for just 13 yards on 10 carries.
In his pregame media session, Coach Redman acknowledged that it was a problem from last week. He stressed that it was something the team was addressing and hoped to see improvement in this week's game. However, for the second week in a row, the ground game continues to be a problem for the Kings.
Snell’s six carries for four yards were boosted by his two receptions for 28 yards, and Wheeler had one reception for 18 yards. Clearly, however, a great deal more work needs to be done for the team to have a legitimate offensive ground game.
The Kicking Game
In his UFL debut, Tanner Brown continues to be perfect for the Kings. Accounting for all 9 points, Brown kicked a 42-yard field goal, a 41-yard field goal, and a 32-yarder just before the half.
However, Brown's impressive kicking prowess was overshadowed by the Storm's ace Michael Lantz, who nailed a stunning 57-yarder one week after kicking a 55-yard field goal in the victory over the Columbus Aviators.
Next week, the Kings have a rare opportunity to avenge this loss when they play the Storm in a back-to-back game at home. The action takes place next Friday at 8:00 pm when the Kings host Orlando at Lynn Family Stadium. The game will be televised on "Fox UFL Friday."