Florida Gators Look to Rebound vs Samford Tonight in The Swamp, Freshman QB DJ Lagway Will Start
By Space Coast Daily // September 7, 2024
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+
ABOVE VIDEO: Florida vs. Samford trailer
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA (Florida Gators) – Kickoff for Saturday night’s home game against Samford can’t get here fast enough for the Gators.
Yes, it has been that kind of week in this football-crazed college town.
Florida’s season-opening 41-17 loss to Miami shook the ground underneath Florida Field and rattled a fanbase hungry for the program to reverse its fortunes after three consecutive losing seasons. There is change on the way.
Enter true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, who took over for injured starter Graham Mertz in the final quarter against the Hurricanes. With Mertz still in concussion protocol, Lagway is primed to make his first career start Saturday against Samford, which lost its season opener 38-29 last week at West Georgia.
Of all the subplots attached to Saturday’s game, Lagway’s first start is the one that has arrived sooner than expected.
UF head coach Billy Napier is ready to see how Lagway responds.
“When you’re in there and the bullets are flying, I think that’s the scenario where the consequences become real,” Napier said.
Lagway went 3-for-6 for 31 yards and an interception against the Hurricanes. He added 20 yards on four carries and led UF on a 58-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
Lagway arrived at UF in January and entered the season projected to be Mertz’s backup and perhaps an occasional change-of-pace option. That plan changed when Mertz was hit and slammed his head on the turf late in the third quarter against Miami.
Napier and the Gators spoke confidently this week that Lagway is ready for the challenge.
“Everything he does is just smooth. It just seems effortless, cool, calm, collected,” receiver Eugene Wilson III said. “I feel like a lot of that dynamic will be able to play a factor the rest of the season.”
The Gators need something good to happen, and Lagway has an opportunity to lead the way.
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