Texas A&M (1-1) blew out McNeese State 52-10 on Saturday afternoon, as head coach Mike Elko’s talented squad rushed for 333 yards and five touchdowns while starting quarterback Conner Weigman bounced back from his poor performance in the season-opening loss to Notre Dame.
Even with the win, Saturday’s slate of college football matchups wasn’t Aggie-friendly, as several future opponents, including Arkansas, Florida, and yes, even Bowling Green, looked much more competitive than their preseason expectations.
Sticking with the Florida Gators, an injury to starting quarterback Graham Mertz led to former 5-star freshman phenom DJ Lagway getting his first career start against Samford. I don’t think anyone could have written his official introduction any better.
Outside of throwing a couple of passes and an interception in clean-up duty in the loss to Miami, Lagway let loose and harrassed Samford’s secondary all night, throwing for 456 yards and three touchdowns, completing 18 of 25 passes, including 18 yards per completion.
Aggie fans knew Lagway well during his recruiting career, as former head coach Jimbo Fisher was very close to landing him toward the end of his coaching tenure.
If he earns the start, Texas A&M’s pass rush will need to get home more than they have in the last two games, while the secondary will need to keep pace with Florida’s receivers on deep balls, as Lagway is guaranteed to attempt more deep shots than Mertz.
However, after Saturday’s game, Tampa Bay Time reporter Matt Baker reported that Florida head coach Billy Napier will “stay the course” with Mertz as the No. 1 QB option. At the same time, Lagway will continue to wait in the wings. Lagway could be used in special packages, but everything could change during the week.
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Texas A&M will travel to Gainsville to take on the Florida Gators on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on ABC.
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