GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The talent, persistence and ultimate class of Florida quarterback DJ Lagway were at their highest level on Saturday against Texas. The Gators jumped to a 10-0 lead after one quarter and never trailed in their 29-21 win over the No. 9 Longhorns in The Swamp.
The Gators were on a three-game losing streak after losses to South Florida, at No. 4 Miami and at No. 3 LSU.
Lagway struggled in those last two games when he threw five interceptions in a 20-10 loss at LSU and passed for only 61 yards and was sacked four times at Miami.
Getting a feel for how the sophomore from Willis, Tex., approaches the game defined the 180-degree turnaround in Saturday’s win.
Lagway completed 21 of 28 passes for 298 yards, and he hit true-freshman Dallas Wilson on touchdown passes of 55 and 13 yards.
“It’s always great to get a ‘W,’ especially in The Swamp in front of these amazing fans,” said Lagway. “I’d say just our execution, what we preached during the bye week, and things we cleaned up, and just our overall camaraderie together as a team and as an offensive unit.”
Lagway’s leadership allowed him to bring the offense and defense together, and the Gators outplayed the Longhorns, as they were a faster team and showcased their talent in the matchups all afternoon.
“If I haven’t figured it out yet, God always has a plan,” commented Lagway. “It may not always look how you want it to look, but at the end of the day, God has a plan for you, and at the end of the day, you’ve just got to rely on Him and give it to Him.”
Wilson had missed his first four games with an ankle injury and made his debut with six catches for 111 yards. The 55-yard score came up the right sideline line where he stayed in bounds as neither Jelani McDonald nor Michael Taaffe could bring him down on his run.
“That was a crazy play, actually,” acknowledged Wilson. “I won off the line, off my release with the corner. The corner fell to the floor. Lagway threw the ball up to me, (I) caught it, and after that, I just let my talent take over. It was just boom from there.”
Baugh’s Dominance: Sophomore running back Jaden Baugh rushed for 107 yards on 27 carries and gave Florida a quick start as he capped a 13-play, 84-yard drive with a five-yard run around the right end with 7:58 remaining in the first quarter.
Baugh gave Florida a pair of 12-yard runs on his second drive as the Gators took a 10-0 lead on a 39-yard field goal from Trey Smack.
“This is our formula,” explained Gators head coach Billy Napier. “When we’re playing at our best, the guys up front are ready to go. They’re mixing it up, and we’re able to be physical, and there’s a cumulative effect to that, and I think that we feed off of that.”
Baugh made his impact behind a Gators offensive line that dominated the talented Texas front-seven.
“He’s a marquee back, and he deserves a number of carries each week,” said Napier.
Texas-Sized Loss: The athleticism of Florida’s defense dominated the Texas offense for most of the afternoon.
Florida didn’t allow a sustainable rushing attack as quarterback Arch Manning led the Longhorns with 15 carries for 74 yards. Most of those were scrambles or rushes to the outside. Manning had a 36-yard run off the left side early in the fourth quarter, but an interception by Florida defensive back Jordan Castell ended the drive.
Texas has a solid group of receivers, but no one has stepped forward as a featured running back. Manning found Daylan McCutcheon on a 26-yard pass play and a 42-yarder to DeAndre Moore, Jr., which set up Wisner’s one-yard run to cut the deficit to 29-21 with 3:20 remaining in the game.
After adding the 37 yards lost on six sacks, Manning was credited with only 37 yards on 15 carries. Quintrevion Wisner, Ryan Niblett and Christian Clark posted a combined 11 carries for 15 yards.
Editorial Note: College Football rushing stats should not reflect yardage lost because of sacks in the final total rushing attempts. Follow how the NFL uses this method, as these are not rushing stats, and sacking the quarterback is a totally different entity and skill.