Lagway's starting debut is a big success for the Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A very unpleasant week for the UF football team culminated Saturday night with another opportunity to sprint out of the tunnel in the Swamp.

After the mood of the last seven days, the Gators could no doubt have used a hug from Dr. Phil. Some of their fans might have bought themselves a relaxing shower and a Bon Iver album by now. And head coach Billy Napier He spent many hours searching for answers to improve his team.

They all once found a cure for their ailments DJ Lagway started to sweat on a sultry September evening.

Lagway delivered the most impressive starting debut by a true freshman quarterback in school history in Florida's 45-7 victory over Samford. Lagway, the 2023 Gatorade National Player of the Year, threw for 456 yards and three touchdowns as the Gators rebounded from their 24-point loss to Miami in the season opener. Lagway surpassed Chris Leak's school record for most yards passing by a true freshman (268 at Kentucky in 2003) by nearly 200 yards in his starting debut.

“We gave them a little more reason to be happy this week,” said Napier. “It's a good step in the right direction. And of course DJ Lagway had a phenomenal night.”

Lagway started instead of the sixth grader Graham Mertz after Mertz suffered a concussion in the opening game. He delivered a memorable performance and, more importantly, helped the Gators get a much-needed win before they open Southeastern Conference play at home against Texas A&M next week.

Samford's defense is not to be confused with the 1985 Bears or some of Alabama's defenses under Nick Saban, but that doesn't make Lagway's performance any less impressive. He completed 18 of 25 passes and gained 16 yards on five carries, helping the Gators end a six-game losing streak.

As Lagway waited to run onto Florida Field for his debut as a starter, he said he was nervous, something you would never have noticed by watching him play.

“I was just focused on the task at hand,” he said. “My coach tells me what to do. That's how it goes, I just execute one play at a time. My coaches have been hard on me since day one. That's what I love about Coach Napier and his staff. They will coach me hard and make sure I get better every day.”

Lagway made his debut in the opening game, replacing Mertz in the fourth quarter and completing 3 of 6 passes for 31 yards and an interception, leading the Gators on a scoring drive after being uncertain whether he would play because of a shoulder injury.

“He's been fighting. His arm hasn't necessarily been 100 percent for the last few weeks,” said Napier. “He's had a few injuries. I think he's finally, kind of [by the] The end of this week was healthy. You saw that tonight.”

The Gators came up empty on their first drive when Lagway lined up wide on fourth and 1 from Samford’s 17-yard line and Tailback Treyann Webb was stopped after a direct snap just before the first down.

Lagway showed what he was capable of on the next drive when he hit the receiver Elijah Badger for a 77-yard gain that brought the Gators to Samford’s 4. Two plays later, Montrell Johnson, Jr. scored a 1-yard run. Lagway connected with Chimere Dike for a 44-yard gain on Florida's next possession, but the drive ended when the freshman running back Jadan Baugh fumbled into the end zone and Samford recovered it for a touchback. On the opening play of Florida's next drive, Lagway connected with tight end Hayden Hansen for a 40-yard pass. He later threw to Badger for 22 yards, and on the next play Johnson scored on a 7-yard run to give the Gators a 14-0 lead.

Lagway had just gotten into his stride after completing 8 of 11 passes for 209 yards in the first half.

“It's impressive,” Napier said. “I think the vertical passing game … I mean, they're precise, accurate on the run. He's got that in him.”

Lagway had his first career touchdown pass on the opening drive of the second half when he connected with another freshman Tank Hawkins for a 36-yard touchdown and a 21-0 Gators lead.

“That's one of my best friends here,” Lagway said, “so it was a real moment to score our first touchdown together.”

After a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive by Sanford that cut Florida's lead to 21-7, the Gators responded quickly. Lagway directed a four-play, 75-yard drive that ended with arguably his best throw of the night, a 41-yard pass to the right corner of the end zone to Aidan Mizell.

Recipient Eugene Wilson III was free on the play and watched as Lagway shuffled to the left, went up in the pocket to avoid the rush, and then fired a dart that hit Mizell on the run while Bulldogs cornerback Xavier Lanier was helpless and unable to intercept the perfectly thrown pass.

“He was out there playing backyard ball,” Wilson said. “The ball to Mizell, that jump was crazy because it, like, went up, and to be honest, I was totally free on that play. He just ran up, flicked the ball up like he knew it was going to land somewhere down there, and it just stopped right there in the pocket. That play was unbelievable.”

Lagway's final touchdown throw was an 85-yard toss to Wilson that was his longest (and easiest) of the night. Wilson got to the ball with a jet sweep, got an underhand throw from Lagway, then sliced ​​through the Samford defense on his way to the end zone.

Lagway's debut was the highlight of a 632-yard offense for the Gators after they managed just 261 yards in a 41-17 loss to the Hurricanes. Johnson ran for 67 yards and two scores, Hawkins and Mizell caught their first career touchdowns and Wilson finished with six receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown, a team-high.

Napier then addressed whether Lagway would continue to be the starter or make way for Mertz once Mertz clears the final hurdle of the concussion protocol.

“Our intentions are the same,” Napier said. “We want him to play every week. I think that was our intention last week. But he brings a different element to our team. There's no doubt he'll be part of everyone's plans going forward.”

The Gators needed a win and a feel-good moment to put the humiliating loss to Miami out of their minds.

Lagway took the call, far from his home in Willis, Texas, where the Gators found him. He said the opportunity to play against the Hurricanes helped him get in the mood for Saturday night's coming-out party.

“It definitely helped with my confidence,” he said. “I just wanted to feel what it felt like to be tackled in college and just see what it was like on the field, with the noise of the crowd, 90,000 in the stands. I never had anything like that in high school.”

Until Saturday night, the Gators had never seen such a productive starting debut from a true freshman quarterback.