In front of a crowd of 11,082 cheering hometown fans, the Louisville Kings re-ignited their season with an inspired comeback performance against the Orlando Storm. Matching the Storm touchdown for touchdown, the Kings forced an overtime shootout to break a 27-27 tie at the end of regulation. Unfortunately, the game ended in a loss when two back-to-back pass interference penalties cost the Kings the game, marring an otherwise outstanding defensive performance.
Five Takeaways From Louisville Kings and Orlando Storm Rematch
As Louisville falls to 0-3, here are five takeaways from the Kings’ best showing of the season.
Complementary Football Across All Three Phases of the Game
Over the past two weeks, the defense has played exceptionally well while the offense struggled at times, particularly in the running game.
Although kicker Tanner Brown has been perfect, converting all seven field goals, previously, there were mixed results on special teams play in kickoff and punt returns.
However, on Friday night, it all came together for the Kings. The defense played great throughout the game. The offense shone in the second half once the ground game got going. Quarterback Jason Bean had the offense humming as they matched Orlando score for score, spreading the ball around to eight different receivers, including two touchdowns to TE Zach Davidson and one to WR Lucky Jackson. Isaiah Winstead hauled in 7 receptions for 114 yards. With all three units playing complementary ball throughout the night, it was a true team effort in all three phases.
Head coach Chris Redman emphasized in his post-game media session, “I can’t be more proud of these guys. They fought so hard. These guys never quit…No one on the team ever quit.”
Despite the chaotic and questionable ending, he continued, “We had a rough start here, but the fight in them, the willingness to never give up, the way they battled... there’s no quit. We don’t quit.” Redman confidently stated, “The W’s are gonna come. It’s just a matter of when.”
The Louisville Kings Defense
In his post-game media session, Redman was quick to acknowledge his talented defense. “Really proud of the defense. They played their tails off... I feel like the defense is getting better every week. They’re challenging themselves to be great and be a dominant force on that side of the ball.”
Jamie Sharper's defense is proving to be one of the league's best. In a repeat performance of last week’s dominant stand against two of the league’s top talents, the Kings' defense successfully contained All-UFL Team standouts Jashaun Corbin and Chris Rowland.
Although it’s only three weeks into the season, several of the Kings' defenders are arguably headed towards All-UFL Team status. Keaton Ellis and Jaheim Thomas led the team with 6 tackles and a pass breakup. Cornerbacks Cam Dantzler and Eric Garror each had four tackles plus a TFL.
Louisville OLB Cam Gill had three tackles (one solo), one TFL, and 1.5 sacks. Jaylon Allen had two tackles, one TFL, and a sack.
Jason Bean Showed Why He’s QB1
Despite playing a statistically stronger game than the Storm in almost every category, the team still lost. Louisville outperformed Orlando, recording more total yards, passing yards, first downs, sacks, tackles for a loss, with a comparable time of possession, and zero turnovers.
Bean played a superior game, completing 23 of 46 passes for 352 yards with three touchdowns. Jack Plummer posted 21 of 34 for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Neither quarterback had a takeaway.
Bean’s performance was all the more impressive given his disappointing game from last week. He shook off a couple of tough losses, ignored the pointed criticism, and bounced back to outplay one of the UFL's top quarterbacks.
Afterwards, a visibly despondent Bean admitted, “It was a disappointing way to finish a game like that after the way I played and the way that the offense played and, you know, the way that the defense played. I think we very much deserved to win that game. It’s just not the way the cards fell tonight. Like I said, we’re gonna get back in. We've got a short week this week. But I think I’m looking forward to it, and I think the rest of the team is looking forward to it.”
A Significant Improvement In The Ground Game
In the first two games this season, the Louisville ground game was missing in action. Coach Redman admitted that the lack of a ground game was something they addressed in practice. One of the changes made involved bringing in different personnel for the offensive line. The reconfigured o-line made a big difference, allowing the ground game to flourish. Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Benny Snell handled the workload for the Kings. He finished the night with 12 carries for 50 yards, compared to his previous season total of 11 carries for 21 yards. Bean rushed three times for 14 yards.
Penalties Killed An Impressive Comeback
For the second week in a row, the Kings committed nine total penalties. This week, their last two penalties cost them the game. In a highly controversial, bizarre UFL rule, when a defense commits back-to-back penalties during overtime, the officials reward the offense with an automatic win. The rule is absurd and should be changed.
It was a devastating way to lose the game, which was made even more painful by an incomplete pass. Had either penalty not occurred, it's likely the Kings would be celebrating their first win. Instead, they were left with a devastating loss. The pain of this loss will resonate for a long time.
However, there is no better way to impress upon a young team why Louisville must play a cleaner game.
The team will have a chance to do just that and put it all together again next Thursday night to earn its first victory. The action takes place next Thursday, April 16th, at 8:00 pm when the Kings travel to Houston to take on the 1-2 Gamblers. The game will be televised on the NFL Network.