The Orlando Storm, thanks to a missed 63-yard field goal with 35 seconds left Sunday night, snapped a two-game losing streak, escaping Houston with a 24-23 victory.<\/p>\n
The win puts the Storm at 5-2 and in a three-way tie with the DC Defenders and the St. Louis Battlehawks atop the UFL standings with three games left in the regular season. Houston fell to 2-5.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey gutted it out today. We made one more play than they did,\u201d Orlando coach Anthony Becht said. \u201cI\u2019m proud of my guys for fighting. We gotta clean up a lot of stuff. We\u2019re just shooting ourselves in the foot. It\u2019s been tough to watch sometimes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t seen our best offensive performance yet. I just expect better; have higher expectations. \u2026 We have to reorganize. We have to take a hard look at what we\u2019re doing and what\u2019s gonna work best. \u2026 We gotta clean things up in like three or four days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Becht was referencing the Storm\u2019s next game, which is on the road Friday night at Fort Hood, Texas, against the Dallas Renegades (3-4).<\/p>\n
In the box score, Sunday\u2019s game was all Houston, but the Storm did enough when it counted to get the victory. Houston out-gained Orlando 415 yards to 185. Houston had 22 first downs and Orlando just 11. Houston ran 70 plays, Orlando just 46. Houston had three quarterback sacks, Orlando none.<\/p>\n
Orlando, however, made the plays when it needed.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the biggest play of the game came early. Orlando had taken its first lead in three weeks on a Jack Plummer to Elijhah Badger 35-yard touchdown pass just nine minutes into the game.<\/p>\n
Then, after a Houston field goal, Storm cornerback DJ James, who signed with the team Thursday, jumped a pass route, picked off a Hunter Dekkers pass and returned it 18 yards for a pick-6 touchdown to put Orlando up 14-3 at the start of the second quarter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels amazing. I was just waiting for the opportunity to suit up and showcase my talent,\u201d\u00a0 said James, who played college football at Oregon and Auburn. A sixth-round NFL draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2024, James played one game last season with the New England Patriots.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just coming back from rookie minicamp (with the Titans) in Nashville, Tennessee, and I was in Dallas where I\u2019ve been working out,\u201d James said. \u201cMy agent called me and said, \u2018Hey, they need some guys here,\u2019 and I said, \u2018Yeah, I love to play football, especially at cornerback, so let\u2019s do it.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Storm receiver Badger, who played with the Florida Gators for his final year in college (2024) after transferring from Arizona State, continued to make himself known to NFL scouts, scoring two touchdowns.<\/p>\n
![\"Receiver](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/TOS-L-orlando-storm-at-houston-01-02.jpg\")
Receiver Elijhah Badger (2) of the Orlando Storm, flanked by teammates Chris Rowland (12) and Jashaun Corbin (6), reacts after his touchdown against the Houston Gamblers during the first quarter at Shell Energy Stadium on May 10, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner\/UFL\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m feeling great, just to be out here. It\u2019s a nice opportunity for sure just to show what I can do. It feels good to come back out here and play ball again,\u201d Badger said. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m showing good really, route-wise. I feel like nobody can guard me in this league.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Badger\u2019s first touchdown catch, Plummer threw the ball a bit behind Badger, but he was able to adjust his body on the run and snagged the ball, then turned it up field and dragged a tackler across the goal line for the touchdown.<\/p>\n
His second scoring play turned out to be the game-winner. Houston had taken a short-lived lead when former UCF quarterback John Rhys-Plumlee entered the game in the third quarter. He engineered a drive that ended in a 49-yard touchdown pass to Jalen White.<\/p>\n
But Orlando answered quickly, with Plummer hitting Badger with a 30-yard touchdown pass and the Storm had the lead again 24-20 with 14:53 left in the game. Houston added a field goal, but a last-ditch effort to take the lead in the final minute failed for Houston when kicker John Hoyland missed a 63-yard attempt with 35 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n
![\"Orlando](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/TOS-L-orlando-storm-at-houston-01-03.jpg\")
Orlando Storm defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs, although he had no sacks, was a nemesis all day for Houston Gamblers quarterback Hunter Dekkers during the Storm’s victory at Shell Energy Stadium on May 10, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Jack Gorman\/UFL\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Badger now has 24 catches in seven games for 415 yards and four touchdowns. It\u2019s not just his statistics that he is hoping will impress NFL representatives. He\u2019s also shown his ability to catch balls in traffic, create plays after contact and gain yards after the catch. The little things could help his cause to get to the next level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel good about myself,\u201d Badger said. \u201cIt\u2019s just the little things we work on in practice.\u201d<\/p>\n