BIRMINGHAM, AL – April 18, 2026 – Orlando stayed perfect and made a statement doing it. The Storm rolled into Birmingham’s home opener and walked out with a shutout, improving to 4-0 behind a dominant defensive performance.
Protective Stadium was buzzing early, as former three-time championship head coach Skip Holtz was honored during the coin toss. But the energy never translated to the field for Birmingham.
Both defenses set the tone early before Orlando finally broke through late in the first quarter. Jack Plummer led a methodical drive, going 4-for-4 on third downs. A 36-yard strike to Elijhah Badger on third-and-eight sparked the march, and Plummer capped it by finding Cam Camper on third-and-goal for the game’s first touchdown, Camper’s first catch of the season.
Birmingham showed a brief spark with runs from Anthony McFarland and a 22-yard pickup by Jaydon Mickens, but the drive fizzled, a theme all afternoon.
Orlando’s offense found another gear in the second quarter. Chunk plays from Jashaun Corbin and Camper set things up before Plummer broke free for a 34-yard run. The Stallions held firm near the goal line, but Michael Lantz added a field goal to extend the lead to 10-0.
The struggles piled up for Birmingham. After three straight punts, Anders Carlson missed a 35-yard field goal in his team debut, and the Stallions limped into halftime with just 107 total yards.
Meanwhile, Orlando executed a flawless two-minute drill despite having no timeouts. Plummer hit Camper, Rowland, and Corbin in quick succession to set up a 47-yard Lantz field goal, sending the Storm into the half up 13-0.
Nothing changed after the break.
Birmingham’s offense continued to stall, opening the second half with a sack as Keshawn Banks dropped Matt Corral on the first play. Another punt followed, and even a quarterback change to Michael Hiers couldn’t spark a turnaround. Orlando’s front, led by Isaiah Mack and Chris Garrett, kept the pressure on, forcing a turnover on downs.
Lantz tacked on another field goal from 45 yards out to push the lead further, despite a strong defensive stand highlighted by a sack from Isaiah Green-May.
The Stallions’ best chance came in the fourth quarter when Hiers connected with Justyn Ross for 29 yards to get into the red zone. But once again, Orlando’s defense stood tall, turning them away on downs to preserve the shutout.
Plummer was efficient and composed, throwing for 182 yards and a touchdown without a turnover. But the story was the Storm defense, holding Birmingham to just 36 rushing yards and a brutal 1-for-13 on third down.
It marked the first shutout in the UFL since the 2024 championship game, ironically, when Birmingham was on the winning side.
Kyahva Tezino led the way defensively with 10 tackles, including seven solo stops.
Orlando returns home next week to host St. Louis on Saturday at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN.