Tag: Graham Mertz

Which Florida QB will Texas A&M face next weekend?

Graham Mertz could return as Florida’s starting QB despite freshman DJ Lagway’s huge night

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.

https://twitter.com/on3sports/status/1832602202801606659?s=61&t=vlrTnL-7kglPLcoOJTDYhQ

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.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

DJ Lagway shines as Florida football beats Samford Bulldogs

Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway leads the Gators to their first win of the season with a record-breaking performance.

Florida football (1-1) captured a much-needed bounce-back victory as they defeated the Samford Bulldogs (0-2), 45-7.

The action in the game started quickly as the Gators’ defense forced a fumble on Samford’s first possession of the game.

Defensive back Jason Marshall Jr. recorded his first career forced fumble for Florida but unfortunately, the Gators would turn it over on downs in the red zone on their first offensive possession.

But as the game progressed, the Gators were able to find their groove.

Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway was the starter for Florida after Graham Mertz was unavailable to play due to a concussion he sustained last week against Miami.

Lights out is an understatement for the way the five-star true freshman played. He looked cool, calm and collected as he was having his way all night with the Samford defense.

Lagway did suffer a big hit in the head late in the second quarter that gave fans a scare, but he was able to come back in the game on Florida’s next offensive possession.

The first completion of the game came via a 77-yard throw to senior receiver Elijhah Badger. That would lead to a one-yard touchdown run by running back Montrell Johnson Jr. to put the Gators on the board 7-0 and give them their first lead of the season.

https://twitter.com/GatorsFB/status/1832562574636011743?

Johnson would finish the game with 15 attempts for 67 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Lagway recorded his first collegiate touchdown pass early in the third quarter, throwing a 36-yard strike to freshman receiver Tank Hawkins to give the Gators a 21-0 lead.

https://twitter.com/GatorsFB/status/1832583333517414835?

In the fourth quarter, Lagway threw a catch-and-run pass to sophomore receiver Eugene Wilson for 85 yards to blow the game open 38-7 and seal the victory for the Gators.

https://twitter.com/GatorsFB/status/1832596955115176194?

Wilson had himself a career game as well. The receiver caught six passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. It was Wilson’s first career game with over 100 receiving yards.

Lagway finished the game throwing for 456 yards and three touchdowns at a 72% (18-for-25) completion rate.

“I thought he (Lagway) was pretty clean,” head coach Billy Napier said about Lagway’s performance. “I think he had a mental error in the first drive and outside of that, overall, he managed it well and played pretty clean.”

Lagway finished the game with the most single-game passing yards in program history by a true freshman, passing the previous record held by Chris Leak in 2003.

“My mindset was to take advantage of the opportunity,” Lagway said after the game. “Go out there and compete…I feel like the preparation that coach (Ryan) O’Hara or coach Napier, even Graham (Mertz), they helped me a lot with just making sure I was prepared so that was good.”

The Gators’ defense looked energized and locked in from the opening snap. Despite being without several key players in their secondary because of injuries, it wasn’t a problem for Florida.

Florida held Samford to just seven points. The Bulldogs had just 205 total yards of offense and had to punt a total of nine times.

Redshirt junior edge defender Tyreak Sapp had a great game defensively. Sapp had five total tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack.

It was a great showing all-around for this Florida football team that needed something positive to happen.

Records were broken, the Swamp was rocking and the Gators are now looking to build on their momentum as they head toward Week 3 of the college football season.

Up next for the Gators

Florida will play at home in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium against the Texas A&M Aggies (1-1) on Saturday, Sept. 14. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ABC.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Three takeaways from Florida’s Week 2 home win over Samford

DJ Lagway was excellent and Florida’s defense improved greatly after a lackluster Week 1 performance, but there’s still a lot to clean up.

Florida took care of business (and covered the spread) against FCS Samford on Saturday, 45-7, but it wasn’t the kind of win the team can afford to celebrate for too long.

True freshman quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] looked the superstar recruiting experts promised him to be and Florida looked better in all three phases of the game compared to last week, but that’s what good SEC teams are supposed to do against lesser opponents.

Florida needed a win badly to change the narrative surrounding the program, and Lagway provided some hope to a fan base that has imploded over the past year — six straight losses will do that to any SEC fandom. But like any good piece of chocolate, this win is bittersweet.

There’s a lot to celebrate, but there’s also a lot to fix over the next week before Texas A&M comes to town.

To keep the candy bar analogy going, Florida needs to make sure this win was simply breaking off a piece rather than downing the whole thing in one go.

In other words, this can’t be the team’s high point.

DJ Lagway is him

With [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] in the concussion protocol, Florida was forced to start Lagway and he looked good with a capital G.

Lagway threw for 456 yards and three touchdowns on 18-of-25 passing in the win. He was near perfect; in fact, it’s hard to find a single blemish in Lagway’s performance against Samford. He set the school record for passing yards by a freshman, clearing Chris Leak’s 268-yard performance in 2003 by almost 200 yards. More importantly, he stepped up when the team needed him to the most.

The first quarter wasn’t pretty for Florida. The first drive of the night resulted in a turnover on downs, and a red-zone fumble in the second quarter kept fans on their toes.

Then, No. 2 settled in. Lagway started making tough throw after tough throw, all while taking a few hard shots from Samford’s defense. There was a scary moment at the end of the first half when he took a big hit and was forced to sit a play, but he returned in the second half and looked fine. All three of Lagway’s passing touchdowns came after halftime.

There is no question that Lagway is the future of this program after a performance like that, but Mertz is still the veteran leader of the team. Billy Napier has a tough decision to make if Mertz is healthy next week. At the very least, he’ll have to script a drive for Lagway against Texas A&M.

Defensive line looking much better

Florida’s defensive line consistently got to Samford’s offense behind the line of scrimmage, racking up 12 tackles for a loss and four sacks in the win.

The sacks belonged to Caleb Banks, George Gumbs Jr., Tyreak Sapp and Ja’Markis Weston. True freshman LJ McCray also recorded two quarterback hurries on the evening.

It was a much better performance from the front seven compared to the Miami game, even if it does come against an FCS club. Creating the same pressure against SEC linemen will be the key to future success on defense for Florida.

Although he’s not a defensive lineman, Cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. also deserves a shoutout for forcing the only turnover on the day. He stripped a Samford player on the first drive of the game to set the tone early. Florida allowed just 205 yards (144 passing, 61 rushing) all night.

There’s still some sloppiness to clean up

It’s easy to get lost in the thrill of a win, but Florida made plenty of mistakes against Samford.

Penalties and an overall lack of discipline remain an issue three years into Napier’s tenure as head coach. It’s something Napier vowed to clean up in Year 1 but has never truly taken in Gainesville. False starts and personal fouls will cost the Gators against an SEC team. So will fumbling within five yards of the end zone in the first half.

This game was the only “freebie” on Florida’s schedule. Week-to-week improvement is always good, but avoidable mistakes chip away at any goodwill earned by the team in this kind of win.

Practice should be grueling this week. To a degree, the missteps should be focused on more than the positives. They can’t happen again if Florida wants to string together a few wins before facing the second-half gauntlet — Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State, in that order without a bye week.

Be happy, but don’t be satisfied.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida’s pregame injury report for Week 2 matchup with Samford

Graham Mertz headlines a group of Gators who are out for Week 2 against Samford.

Florida football goes into Week 2 a bit banged up against the Samford Bulldogs.

The Gators will be without several of their key starters, the most notable being quarterback Graham Mertz who suffered a concussion last week against Miami and was placed in concussion protocol.

Head coach Billy Napier said on Wednesday that Mertz was progressing but it’s just not enough time to be ready for Week 2.

“Graham did not practice today,” Napier said on Wednesday. “He is farther into the protocol, and he’s doing better but he’s not quite — he hasn’t quite passed the final test. He’s doing better, but he’s not quite there yet.”

Five-star freshman DJ Lagway will be taking the place of Mertz and start at quarterback against Samford and will get a chance to show Florida fans his talent.

But a notable injury that hurts the most is redshirt junior wide receiver Kahleil Jackson and his season-ending knee injury.

Napier had plans for Jackson to be a key part of the Gators offense this season.

“Kahleil Jackson needs no motivation,” Napier said about Jackson’s mindset. “He’s self-motivated; he’s a grinder. He’s always been out to prove himself, and he’s done that. He has the respect of myself, our staff, his teammates.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Florida will be without some of their key defenders in the secondary.

Junior cornerback Devin Moore and redshirt-senior safety Asa Turner are out for Week 2. Moore is dealing with a lower-body injury and Turner has a shoulder injury.

Napier said that sophomore Dijon Johnson and redshirt-senior DJ Douglas will see playing time.

“Guys like Didi (Dijon) Johnson, will be in the rotation,” Napier said. “DJ Douglas will get more time. We’ve got some depth there.”

Napier went on to say, “So I mean, I think you just see some of those players that maybe played 12 plays, they’ll play 25 this week. We’ve got confidence in those players. I think it’s an opportunity, and they’ll be ready.”

Who’s out for the Gators vs. Samford

Gators Week 2 Game

Florida (0-1) will go up against the Samford Bulldogs (0-1) on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Former Wisconsin quarterback sidelined with concussion, true freshman in as starter

Bad news for former Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz

Former Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz will miss the Florida Gators’ Week 2 contest vs. Samford, per head coach Billy Napier.

Mertz suffered a concussion late in the third quarter of Florida’s eventual 41-17 loss to No. 19 Miami. The hit arrived when Mertz was nailed by a pair of Miami defenders after releasing a pass attempt.

Prior to the head injury, Mertz didn’t do much under center. He recorded 11 completions on 20 attempts for just 91 passing yards and an interception.

The injury prompted Napier to replace the UW alumnus with DJ Lagway, the No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2024, for the remainder of the contest. Lagway, a promising athlete at 6’3,” 241 pounds, completed 3-of-his-6 pass attempts for 31 yards and took four carries for 20 yards.

The injury is unfortunate for Mertz after expectations surrounding his play were high entering the season. It now allows Lagway to take the helm for the time being, which could become permanent if the former five-star recruit lives up to his recruiting billing.

The talented freshman will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his sky-high ceiling. Florida has games remaining against Texas A&M, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Texas, No. 18 LSU, No. 6 Ole Miss and Florida State.

Mertz will enter concussion protocol ahead of Week 2 just one game into his sixth year of collegiate eligibility. It currently remains unclear how much time the former Badger quarterback will miss.

Florida releases Week 2 depth chart vs. Samford, DJ Lagway starting

Billy Napier made several changes to Florida’s two-deep ahead of a Week 2 matchup with FCS Samford. Several starters are out with injury.

Florida released its Week 2 depth chart ahead of its matchup with FCS Samford on Saturday, and there are several notable shakeups to go over.

The big one is [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] being listed as the starting quarterback, but most diehard fans expected that announcement with [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] in concussion protocol.

It will be the first start of many for Lagway in a Gators uniform, but it comes much earlier than expected. Fortunately, the former five-star recruit won’t be going up against an elite Division I defense.

Most of Lagway’s weapons on offense will remain the same. Eugene “Tre” Wilson III, Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike are all healthy, and Montrell Jonson Jr. leads a full running backs room. Tight ends Arlis Boardingham and Hayden Hansen are also set to start.

There are a few changes on the offensive line, however. Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson has moved into the top spot at right tackle, but Kamryn Waites is still listed as an “OR” option. Waites is also listed as an “OR” option at right guard behind Damieon George Jr. since he performed better as a run blocker in Week 1.

Left guard Knijeah Harris also has some competition behind him. Bryce Lovett, who was listed as a right guard last week, is the “OR” option behind Harris entering week two.

Left tackle Austin Barber and center Jake Slaughter are the two constants up front for Florida. The Gators will lean on the two program veterans all season long.

https://twitter.com/camparker25/status/1831465996743250431

Florida Gators Week 2 depth chart — Defense

Florida’s defense got banged up against Miami, and there are several changes on the depth chart to reflect those injuries.

Defensive end Joey Slackman is no longer listed as the “OR” option behind Caleb Banks, and Sharif Denson is missing at the STAR position. Aaron Gates will be Florida’s starting nickelback with Alfonzo Allen Jr. as his “OR” option.

Florida’s No. 2 cornerback Devin Moore is the biggest missing piece from this week’s depth chart, though. Napier said he was dealing with an AC joint issue earlier in the week, and Ja’Keem Jackson has officially been upgraded to a starter as a result.

Finally, Washington transfer and veteran safety Asa Turner is absent form the depth chart after going down with a lower-body injury against Miami. Tulane transfer DJ Douglas will step up as Florida’s starting strong safety against Samford.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Billy Napier announces DJ Lagway as Florida’s starting quarterback vs. Samford

Gators head coach Billy Napier announced on Wednesday that freshman quarterback DJ Lagway will be the starter vs. Samford.

It’s been a busy week of headlines surrounding this Florida Gators football program, to say the least.

From head coach Billy Napier’s comments about criticism and basements in “rural central Florida” to figuring out who the Gators’ starting quarterback will be this Saturday against the Samford Bulldogs, the college football world has their eyes set on the Gators.

Well, after the uncertainties surrounding quarterback Graham Mertz’s availability this week after sustaining a concussion against Miami and entering concussion protocol, we have our answer.

Napier addressed the media on Wednesday night and announced that DJ Lagway will be Florida’s starting quarterback on Saturday.

The Gators’ five-star freshman will be getting more playing time a lot earlier than most people expected.

“As of now, DJ (Lagway) will start the game and then Clay (Millen) and Aidan (Warner) will be the backups,” Napier said.

Napier went on to talk about what he wants to see from Lagway on Saturday.

“I want to see clean football,” Napier said. “Be the point guard; distribute the ball.”

Napier highlighted the importance of Lagway’s playing time last week against Miami, saying, “I think it’s huge he actually got to play a little Week 1.”

In Lagway’s limited playing time against Miami last week, he was 3-for-6 passing for 31 yards and had an interception. Lagway also had four carries for 20 yards.

Gators Week 2 Game

Florida (0-1) will go up against the Samford Bulldogs (0-1) next Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida football’s Billy Napier addresses criticisms from fans

Everything you need to know from Gators head coach Billy Napier’s press conference earlier this afternoon.

It’s been a rough start to the season for Billy Napier and the Florida football program. Not only did they get blown out at home 41-17 in their season-opener against the Miami Hurricanes, but they have also received a ton of criticism from the world of college football and their own fans alike.

These past 48 hours have not been easy for the Gators nation and rightfully so. You can’t really reach a new low point as a fan than to see your team get embarrassed at home like that.

Nonetheless, Napier and his team are trying to turn the page as they prepare for Samford this Saturday.

Napier met with the media earlier this afternoon and here’s what stood out from the press conference.

Napier thanks Gators fans

“(I) want to thank our fans,” he opened. “You know, our fans showed up. And did a great job. We need to do our part. You know, so that they could have been more of a factor in the game. You know, I think certainly we contributed to that.”

Napier talks about Graham Mertz’s availability

“Well, it’s to be determined right now. You know, I mean, I think we’re moving our way. I mean, I think obviously we we are checking boxes in protocol. You know, so regardless of the injury that he (Mertz) has, I don’t have that answer today. But, we’re going to go practice today and obviously DJ (Lagway) will be taking those reps.”

Napier’s confidence in Lagway

“Well, I mean, I think we would play a brand of football that reflects his experience and his strengths. Right. No different than we do each week. But I’ve got a ton of confidence in DJ (Lagway). You know, I think we’ve had him since January. He’s a completely different person and player than he was when he first arrived.

“So he’s got a really good knowledge of our system. I do think coach to player helps a young quarterback. Right. So there’s an advantage there that maybe you wouldn’t have had a year ago.”

Napier on criticism from the fans

“I do think that we have character. We got to go to work on the football part, you know, and I think we got to get more. We got to become a more consistent team, and we have to execute better.

“And if we can focus on those things and not necessarily what some guy in his basement saying in, you know, rural Central Florida on social media, then we got a chance to get better, right?”

“So, I think that’s the key. You know, but, sometimes you deserve criticism, you know, and I think that’s one of those things I would say I have no excuses. Right. So we got to go get it fixed. I know you’re just coach that you saw on film after analyzing the film. That was uncharacteristic from what you’d seen in the fall.”

Napier talks about the team’s mentality after the loss

“I just think we’ve got the group of players that we have. You know, I mean, I think observing them, you know, I think, I mean, we had almost the entire team came to the building yesterday when they were off, right? So, I think that’s a good example of, you know, the type of group that we have here.

“So, yeah, I mean, look, they’re embarrassed. I mean, that’s reality, right? So, you know, I said it postgame. I mean, I think, they know they’re capable of better, and got every opportunity is a lot of football left here.

“And I think that’s what we gotta do. We gotta focus on the next opportunity, the results. Cause you kind of look at any of the specific game prep process, other changes that you think you need to make.”

Napier discusses playing Samford

“Chris Hatcher is a great coach. I think this is year 10 for him. You know, Samford is one of the more competitive FCS programs in the country. He’s (Hatcher) done a good job of building a program. They’ve continued to invest there, and he’s got a good mix of players, and he’s got some portal players, and he’s also got some good high school players.

“And they have a history of being competitive in these games. You know, they played several of these throughout their time. And I’ve got a ton of respect as a former FCA FCS guy. You know, these games are important to programs like Samford.

“So, one thing that we’re going to do this week is we’re going to punt all the injury questions until Wednesday.”

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Three former Wisconsin quarterbacks struggle in Week 1 debuts with new programs

Three former Wisconsin quarterbacks struggle in Week 1 debuts with new programs

It was a rough Saturday for several former Wisconsin quarterbacks making their debuts with new programs: Nick Evers (UConn), Myles Burkett (Albany) and Deacon Hill (Utah Tech).

That does not even include second-year Florida starter Graham Mertz, who left the Gators’ 41-17 loss to No. 19 Miami with a concussion.

Related: Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 1: Our first look at the expanded conference

Evers started UConn’s Week 1 contest against Maryland. He exited midway through the third quarter after taking a big hit from Terrapins linebacker Caleb Wheatland. The former Badger and Oklahoma Sooner completed six of 17 passes for 73 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception. UConn failed to score during his nine drives.

Burkett had the best afternoon of the three. He completed 12 of 26 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown in Albany’s 27-21 win over Long Island. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but he did enough to lead the Great Danes to a win despite managing just 255 yards of offense.

Hill, who is technically a former Wisconsin quarterback despite playing 2023 at Iowa, had a pedestrian outing in Utah Tech’s blowout loss to Montana State. He completed 11 of 23 passes for 104 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. He added 25 rushing yards and an impressive rushing touchdown.

The three former Badgers went 1-2 in their debuts with new programs and combined to go 29 of 66 (44%) for 342 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The performances of these former Badgers are worth monitoring, especially that of Evers. Wisconsin again opted for a veteran transfer in Tyler Van Dyke in 2024 with redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke behind him on the bench. It would be notable if Evers finally blossomed at his third collegiate stop.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. 

A day at the Swamp: Fan’s perspective of Florida’s Week 1 loss to Miami

Florida Gators football managed to leave their home crowd stunned as they were routed by the Miami Hurricanes 41-17.

Florida football was left embarrassed at home in the Swamp by the visiting Miami Hurricanes.

All the months of hope and optimism, the speeches of improvement and change by head coach Billy Napier and his staff, were sucked down the drain as the Hurricanes completely dominated the Gators, 41-17, and left the fans at a loss for words.

From the moment the game kicked off, Miami was in utter control. Miami quarterback Cam Ward looked comfortable all game because Florida’s pass rush was not getting anywhere near him.

Even when Florida blitzed, they weren’t getting to Ward. He had all day to throw and he torched the Gators defense, throwing for 385 yards and three touchdowns.

On offense, the Gators looked lifeless. As if all the weeks of preparation for this crucial season-opener were thrown out the window.

Florida had just 261 yards of total offense. Yes, that’s it. And imagine what that number would be if running back Montrell Johnson Jr. hadn’t broken away for a 71-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Quarterback Graham Mertz was getting knocked around all day long by the Miami pass rushers and eventually had to exit the game due to a concussion.

It was an all-around embarrassment for this Gators football squad that needed to get off to a strong start to this season. Because the schedule certainly doesn’t get any easier moving forward.

A day at the Swamp from a fan’s perspective

I attended this game as a fan. I had family and friends drive up from Miami (my hometown) and stay in Gainesville for the weekend. We did the whole experience. Tailgating outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was a blast.

The energy was off the charts and there was a sense of belief that this Florida team was going to make some noise on the field that afternoon. Of course, there were a decent amount of Hurricanes fans, but it was all friendly banter pre-game.

As we headed into the Swamp and made our way through a sea of blue and orange, chants of “Let’s go Gators!” echoed through the concourse. Fans were pumped up and ready to see their team play some football.

Jevon Kearse was the honorary “Mr. Two Bits” for the game and by the time Kearse was finished leading the cheer, the Swamp was deafening.

Unfortunately, that was the highest the energy ever got that day.

Right from the opening kick, there was not a whole lot for the Florida fans to cheer about. Miami moved the ball down the field with ease on seemingly every possession and right then you knew that the Gators’ chances of winning the game were slim to none.

As Florida trotted back into the locker room at halftime, they were being showered with boos from the home crowd as they trailed Miami 24-10.

Not long into the third quarter is when we started hearing chants of “Fire Napier!” and “We want (DJ) Lagway!” erupt from the student section.

Water bottles and other debris were being thrown down as fans were displaying their frustration at Florida’s poor level of play on the field.

By the time the third quarter came to an end, the stadium was doing its tradition of playing Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down”.

At that point, Florida was down 38-10 and there was no shot at a come-from-behind victory. The fans needed something to be happy about and that’s when everyone got together and started singing along. For a rare moment all game, the energy was high and fans were smiling from ear to ear.

But the moment the song ended, the stands started to empty quickly and fans were piling out of the Swamp. Not quite the home opener Florida was hoping for.

How often do you see Gators fans leave before the fourth quarter on their home turf? Never. When was the last time Florida got blown out like that at home? It’s been some time.

It was a complete embarrassment by the Florida football team and they need to figure it out as fast as possible because the fans have, if not, are very close to running out of patience.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.