Florida football is going through a difficult season, but there does seem to be a silver lining in their dark cloud. Florida’s young quarterback DJ Lagway set a first start school record with 456 passing yards on Saturday against Samford. That impressive statistic made his coach Billy Napier quite happy.
“He is what we thought he was,” Napier said, per ESPN.
Lagway’s marvelous performance is helping Gators fans stomach the team’s disappointing loss to Miami in Week 1. The Florida football program is desperate for success after back-to-back losing seasons in Napier’s first two years. Florida is now 1-1 on the season following their freshman’s spectacular effort. Florida defeated Samford Saturday, 45-7.
“My mindset was to take advantage of my opportunity, go out there and compete with some heck of players around me,” Lagway said following the game.
Florida football must find a way to get to bowl eligibility this season
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Florida football fans are clearly hoping Lagway can keep up the production when he starts facing SEC defenses. The Gators are in dire need of a good season, and must find a way to win at least five more games. That would get the team to bowl eligibility, but Napier may need to find even more wins. The embattled coach is on the hot seat to many fans, despite getting some encouragement from his athletic director.
Lagway will get his chance to impress even more people. Florida football has a stacked conference schedule this season, including meetings with Texas, Georgia and LSU. It won’t be easy for this squad to get more victories, but Napier must find them somehow.
Clearly, Lagway is a sign of hope. The freshman seemed undaunted by playing several drives for Florida on Saturday. Napier was pleased with the young gun’s reads, as well as his throws while facing hurries and pressure from Samford. The play caller finished the game with three touchdown passes, including a 85-yard score on a shovel pass.
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“Those are accurate, right in stride,” Napier said. “It’s impressive.”
The freshman quarterback is also winning the confidence of his teammates. That will prove to be invaluable for Florida moving forward, as the team and coach face a great deal of adversity.
“Oh, man, I love that kid,” Florida defensive end Tyreak Sapp said of Lagway. “I already knew the night was going to be success for him just by the way he works and the way he carries himself. He carries himself like a starting quarterback. Honestly, I wasn’t even surprised.”
Florida football next faces Texas A&M on Saturday, in the team’s first conference game of the season.
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Publish date : 2024-09-08 04:47:00
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