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Football Thoughts on this Florida team......

The Gators are now 3-1 with Lagway starting, and that one loss could have easily been a win had it not been for his second-quarter injury against UGly. They were ahead 10-3 and moving the ball when DJ went out injured.

I couldn't imagine having the weight of the future of the program on my shoulders even with a veteran starter in front of me. Instead, it never seems like the moment is too big for him. For Lagway, it's nothing spectacular. It's part of the job.

"Just somebody gotta make the play. And why not me?" he said. "That's my thought process. Always want to be a game-changer, want to change the game. When the big plays arrive, I've got to make the play."

In his first collegiate season, he broke Florida's record for most passing yards in a game by a freshman (456 versus Samford, which is also 9th all-time in program history). He also owns the program record for 40-yard passes in a single game (5 - which he's done twice this season).

Did he win Saturday's game entirely on his own? No. Again, the offensive line played outstanding, skill positions made enough winning plays and the defense overcame a brutal third-down showing to hold LSU to 13 points, the lowest point-total allowed by the Gators against the Tigers since 2016.

"DJ's taken a role to where he understands that a part of the team is going to feed off his energy," edge rusher Tyreak Sapp said. "I push him, and the defensive guys push him. We rally around him as a defense because we want to let him know we got your back no matter what, little brother, we got your back."
 
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How would he have done if he'd been the designated starter since the Spring?
With the offense adjusted and built around DJ's abilities from the get-go???

Nothing personal against Mertz, but I'm sorry that he came back.
Dual Thread QB's, DJ with Brown as the backup, would have been the result but for Mertz's return. Ah well, water under the bridge now..........

I stated in the preseason that with Mertz as the starter, they would be lucky to win 4 games.
But with DJ as the starter, they are now at least bowl eligible with a possible 7-5 winning season after a win vs the FSUcks Criminoles.....
So it has turned out better than we had any right to hope for imo....
 
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instaGATOR said:
How would he have done if he'd been the designated starter since the Spring?
With the offense adjusted and built around DJ's abilities from the get-go???

Nothing personal against Mertz, but I'm sorry that he came back.
Dual Thread QB's, DJ with Brown as the backup, would have been the result but for Mertz's return. Ah well, water under the bridge now..........

I stated in the preseason that with Mertz as the starter, they would be lucky to win 4 games
But with DJ as the starter, they are now at least bowl eligible with a possible 7-5 winning season after a win vs the FSUcks Criminoles.....
So it has turned out better than we had any right to hope for imo....
Click to expand...
You do realize that if Mertz doesn't get hurt we beat Tennessee, right? Lagway's pick killed our comeback against AM too. We are winning these games right now because our defense has played amazing in the 4th quarter (thanks to changes along the line), LSU and Ole Miss gave us a ton of help, and our running game has started to emerge (and before you tell me that's due to Lagway's running, remember the last two games he hasn't run a lick due to injury). And Brown couldn't even hold the starting job at Charlotte (he's holding the clipboard now). And finally, in 2024 Mertz has a higher passer rating, 6 td's to 2 picks, higher pass yards per game, higher completion, etc etc etc. As to our record? Who knows, purely speculation, so we have to go on the statistical facts.
 
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Countygator1 said:
You do realize that if Mertz doesn't get hurt we beat Tennessee, right? Lagway's pick killed our comeback against AM too. We are winning these games right now because our defense has played amazing in the 4th quarter (thanks to changes along the line), LSU and Ole Miss gave us a ton of help, and our running game has started to emerge (and before you tell me that's due to Lagway's running, remember the last two games he hasn't run a lick due to injury). And Brown couldn't even hold the starting job at Charlotte (he's holding the clipboard now). And finally, in 2024 Mertz has a higher passer rating, 6 td's to 2 picks, higher pass yards per game, higher completion, etc etc etc. As to our record? Who knows, purely speculation, so we have to go on the statistical facts.
Click to expand...
All great points CG1 and spot on. Some people get it, others don't. You do, my man!
 
Glad that you showed us all the facts and not just more of your own biased speculations, so I stand corrected by the one with the foolproof crystal balls, or an unreasonable facsimile thereof.... 🧐
 
Countygator1 said:
Good last few days in regards to recruiting. We have a legit shot to move into the top 15 if we can get a few more to hit.
Click to expand...
If we can flip Ffrench, Pickett and Thomas, they will move UF into top 7 at worse. I believe ESPN has Jackson the top LB.
 
Had this earlier today but I had to go out for a while, so here it is now anyway....

After B-2-B wins over LSU/MS, Gator's recruiting takes a positive jump.
#18 247 Class - 5 4-stars, 13 3-stars --- Includes the #1 Kicker and #5 Punter.

Flip USC --- #21 LB Ty Jackson 6-1 200 ****
Flip Cincy - #79 OT Jahari Medlock 6-6 278 ***
Flip AZ ---- #92 WR - Muizz Tounkara 6-3.5 195 ***
 
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Current NCAA 1-134 Football Poll

4. Texass
6. Jawja
10. Tennis-sea
12. Alabummer
13. Lamecocks
15. Ole Piss - lost to UF
20. aTm
-----
31. LSwhoo - lost to UF
32. Mizz
36. Florida
39. Vandy
41. Chokelahomo
45. Ar-kansas
-----
77. Allbarn
86. Kensucky
108. MsSt
==========

7. scUM thugs
114. FSUcks criminoles
 
Not a front page Baseball thread, so I thought I'd drop this poll here just for something else to talk/think about and look forward to....

Preseason 'Way Too Early' College Baseball Poll:
  1. LSU *
  2. Florida *
  3. FSUcks
  4. Clems-son
  5. aTm *
  6. Va
  7. Tennis-sea *
  8. Ar-kansas *
  9. Dukie
  10. OreSt
  11. Jawja *
  12. NC
  13. NC-St
  14. Ore
  15. OkSt
  16. MsSt *
  17. SCa *
  18. VU *
  19. TX *
  20. AZ
  21. Ind
  22. Stanford
  23. Kensucky *
  24. SMs
  25. WF
So that's 11 SEC in the Top 25...
 
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Post LSU win recruits:

#21 QB Tramell Jones Jr​

#49 DT Stephon Shivers ​

#79 OG Daniel Pierre Louis

Post MS win recruits:

#21 LB Ty Jackson​

#79 OT Jahari Medlock

#92 WR Muizz Tounkara​

So apparently, winning games helps recruiting,,, who knew??? 🙄
 
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instaGATOR said:
Had this earlier today but I had to go out for a while, so here it is now anyway....

After B-2-B wins over LSU/MS, Gator's recruiting takes a positive jump.
#18 247 Class - 5 4-stars, 13 3-stars --- Includes the #1 Kicker and #5 Punter.

Flip USC --- #21 LB Ty Jackson 6-1 200 ****
Flip Cincy - #79 OT Jahari Medlock 6-6 278 ***
Flip AZ ---- #92 WR - Muizz Tounkara 6-3.5 195 ***
Click to expand...
Old news, Mr. Redundancy.
 
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Continuing their significant momentum with the early signing period approaching, the Gators on Tuesday received a commitment from 4-star #23 RB Byron Louis 5-11 200 (Fort Lauderdale, FL), who had been committed to FSU since September. He is ranked as the No. 231 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite, making him UF’s 5th-highest rated pledge.

www.onlygators.com

Florida football recruiting: Four-star 2025 RB Byron Louis commits to Gators in third flip from FSU | OnlyGators.com: Florida Gators news, analysis, schedules and scores

Whether the Florida Gators are able to take down the hated-rival Florida State Seminoles on Saturday inside Doak Campbell Stadium remains to be seen. What's for sure, though, is that Florida head coach Billy Napier has been stuffing his counterpart, Mike Norvell, into a shed on the recruiting...
www.onlygators.com www.onlygators.com
 
instaGATOR said:
Continuing their significant momentum with the early signing period approaching, the Gators on Tuesday received a commitment from 4-star #23 RB Byron Louis 5-11 200 (Fort Lauderdale, FL), who had been committed to FSU since September. He is ranked as the No. 231 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite, making him UF’s 5th-highest rated pledge.

www.onlygators.com

Florida football recruiting: Four-star 2025 RB Byron Louis commits to Gators in third flip from FSU | OnlyGators.com: Florida Gators news, analysis, schedules and scores

Whether the Florida Gators are able to take down the hated-rival Florida State Seminoles on Saturday inside Doak Campbell Stadium remains to be seen. What's for sure, though, is that Florida head coach Billy Napier has been stuffing his counterpart, Mike Norvell, into a shed on the recruiting...
www.onlygators.com www.onlygators.com
Click to expand...
A day late and a dollar short once again. You just keep posting stuff that's already been posted. Off to never, never land.
 
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Whatever happened to that ass wipe RB who decommitted from UF ranked in the 200's, then commits to Georgia, and his recruiting rank rose up to 61?
 
ocalaman said:
A day late and a dollar short once again. You just keep posting stuff that's already been posted. Off to never, never land.
Click to expand...
While your dumb-azz has nothing better to do than to make weak attempts to troll me.
Which was the bigger waste of time, my post (that needed no response) or your's?

BTW, FU and KMA because your own waste of space stupidity is on constant display here.
(was that the in-kind type of response you were begging for?)
 
instaGATOR said:
While your dumb-azz has nothing better to do than to make weak attempts to troll me.
Which was the bigger waste of time, my post (that needed no response) or your's?

BTW, FU and KMA because your own waste of space stupidity is on constant display here.
(was that the in-kind type of response you were begging for?)
Click to expand...

@instaGATOR you will always be a legend here...
 
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"I think DJ obviously surpassed my expectations for a rookie," Napier said Monday. (and those 'low expectations' were a big part of the problem imo)

And while some want to give Mertz the credit for DJ's play, I believe that he would have been just fine without it, due to Ryan O'Hara.

The off-field analyst, whose responsibilities focus on mid-week preparation of the team's quarterback unit, has played a critical role in fine-tuning Lagway's skill set, from his passing mechanics to his footwork. (Mertz was mostly a cheerleader) Without O'Hara, it's safe to speculate whether or not Lagway would be nearly as capable of leading Florida's offense.

So now that the Gators have a quality QB's coach, all they need is a really good OC moving forward....
 
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Gator Fever said:
Meyer said he can't believe we are happy at 6-5 that he couldn't even go out to eat when we lost that game in 2008.
Click to expand...
If he said was true, then he ignored the fact that all of us wanted Napier gone after the A&M game. We're happy that we've beaten two ranked teams back to back, not the fact we're 6-5.
 
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instaGATOR said:
"I think DJ obviously surpassed my expectations for a rookie," Napier said Monday. (and those 'low expectations' were a big part of the problem imo)

And while some want to give Mertz the credit for DJ's play, I believe that he would have been just fine without it, due to Ryan O'Hara.

The off-field analyst, whose responsibilities focus on mid-week preparation of the team's quarterback unit, has played a critical role in fine-tuning Lagway's skill set, from his passing mechanics to his footwork. (Mertz was mostly a cheerleader) Without O'Hara, it's safe to speculate whether or not Lagway would be nearly as capable of leading Florida's offense.

So now that the Gators have a quality QB's coach, all they need is a really good OC moving forward....
Click to expand...

Mertz is a good mentor but Lagway getting the experience he got is why if we do good in the portal we will be a contender in the playoff next year.
 
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instaGATOR said:
"I think DJ obviously surpassed my expectations for a rookie," Napier said Monday. (and those 'low expectations' were a big part of the problem imo)

And while some want to give Mertz the credit for DJ's play, I believe that he would have been just fine without it, due to Ryan O'Hara.

The off-field analyst, whose responsibilities focus on mid-week preparation of the team's quarterback unit, has played a critical role in fine-tuning Lagway's skill set, from his passing mechanics to his footwork. (Mertz was mostly a cheerleader) Without O'Hara, it's safe to speculate whether or not Lagway would be nearly as capable of leading Florida's offense.

So now that the Gators have a quality QB's coach, all they need is a really good OC moving forward....
Click to expand...
Same guy responsible for developing Mertz?
 
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