Tag: orange and blue game

Florida’s freshman QB a standout at Orange and Blue game

There is little doubt that Florida’s DJ Lagway is a star in the making.

The spring practice season is in the books for Florida football following the conclusion of the Orange and Blue game on Saturday, as the Blue team prevailed over the Orange, 19-17, in the annual intrasquad scrimmage. While the results on the scoreboard hardly mean anything, what was seen on the field certainly had merit.

CBS Sports’ Will Backus took a look at college football’s spring game standouts and included the Gators’ five-star freshman quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] among the nation’s best weekend performers.

“Lagway’s not going to start anytime soon, barring Graham Mertz either suffering an injury or having a complete meltdown in performance, but it’s hard not to get excited about the freshman in this offense,” Backus begins.

“The No. 3 overall prospect and No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2024, Lagway enrolled early and went through spring practice with the Gators, capping things off in Saturday’s spring game. Running the offense opposite Mertz, Lagway managed a breezy 12 completions for 173 yards and two touchdowns,” he continues.

“One of those touchdowns came on his very first drive of the game — a 22-yard strike to wide receiver Aidan Mizell that displayed advanced ball placement for such a young arm. Lagway’s 6-foot-3, 241-pound frame is dripping with potential. Saturday only served to accelerate the hype train.”

Florida kicks off its 2024 regular-season schedule on Aug. 31 against the Miami Hurricanes inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Gators open their SEC schedule with the Texas A&M Aggies arriving in the Swamp on Sept. 14.

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CBS Sports weighs in with takeaways from Orange and Blue game

Here’s what one member of the national sports media thought of Florida’s Orange and Blue game on Saturday.

Florida football wrapped up its spring schedule on Saturday afternoon with its annual Orange and Blue game, an intrasquad scrimmage designed to get the Gators a game-day-like experience while giving the fan base a little bit of the same.

This year’s event ended in a 19-17 victory for the Blue team on a last-second field goal. Overall, the program looked healthy during the scrimmage with plenty of good play from both the offense and defense.

CBS Sports’ Will Backus took a look at the many spring games played this weekend, including Florida, and offered his takeaways from the exhibitions.

“Make no mistake: Florida’s offense belongs to Graham Mertz. After a very solid 2023 season, the veteran quarterback looked right at home operating the Gators’ offense in the spring game. He finished with a solid statline, completing 15 of 27 passes for 243 yards and one touchdown,” Backus begins.

“Though he had an interception, Mertz was comfortable working every level of the field and his veteran presence should pay dividends for an offense that’s breaking in a lot of new players elsewhere.”

“Still, it’s really hard not to get excited about DJ Lagway. The No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2024 enrolled at Florida early and made his debut in front of fans Saturday, playing opposite Mertz on the Orange team. Standing at 6-foot-3 and 241 pounds, Lagway cut an impressive figure before he even threw a pass,” Backus continues.

“He got to flash enticing versatility on his very first drive, moving the ball through the air and with his legs before capping things off with a 22-yard dart to wide receiver Aidan Mizell for a touchdown. Lagway had another impressive touchdown throw later, and despite an interception of his own, flashed the tremendous potential that had recruiting analysts buzzing.

“There’s tons of hope for Florida’s offensive future so long as Lagway is in a Gators uniform.”

Florida kicks off its 2024 regular-season schedule on Aug. 31 against the Miami Hurricanes inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

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Coveted four-star wide receiver will visit UF for Orange and Blue game

A four-star wideout is planning to an official visit during the Florida Gators Spring football game.

Florida football is well into its recruiting campaign for the class of 2025 and the guest list for the spring game already has its first name.

Five-star wide receiver [autotag]Caleb Cunningham[/autotag] has already paid a few visits to the Swamp, including the most recent trip during the program’s junior day at the beginning of February. After the consecutive positive experiences, Cunningham wants to return for the annual Orange and Blue game on April 13.

The Ackerman, Mississippi, native told reporters at 247Sports that he’s been in contact with head coach Billy Napier and all the conversations ended in a positive light, with the third-year head coach having nothing but good things to say.

“He really loves me a lot,” Cunningham recalled. “He told me he really loves my film. He said he knows I am a great guy. He said he already knows I am an elite player. He said the person I am before football is the favorite thing about me. He knows I am a great person, and knows I can play. It was good having the head man there to talk with me. He wants me there bad. He said he doesn’t care how far away it is. He said he thinks I got a chance to be committed there.”

Wide receiver Caleb Cunningham is a 4-star wideout according to the 247Sports scale. He currently ranks as the No. 24 overall recruit and is No. 3 among fellow wide receivers, making him a high priority on the Gators’ list.

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Florida football’s Orange and Blue game returns to Saturday for 2024

Here’s when Florida plans its Orange and Blue game this spring.

Florida football has made its spring schedule official, according to a report from 247Sports. The release includes a bit of a modification from the last few years when it comes to the annual Orange and Blue game.

The program’s marquee intrasquad scrimmage will be played on Saturday, April 13, after taking place on a Thursday the two years prior. The original date for the 2024 event was set for April 18 — which would have made it the third-straight Thursday matchup — but recently Billy Napier and Co. decided to return to the traditional day of the week.

The Orange and Blue game will represent the third and final intrasquad scrimmage of the spring season, which kicks off on March 7. However, the university’s spring break coincides with that window as it starts on the second week of that month, so there will be some lag time in the beginning.

The Gators’ practice schedule over that stretch will consume the Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday spots on the weekly calendar, with just one Friday practice on April 5.

In 2023, the Orange team prevailed over the Blue team, 10-7, in a game that was not at all encouraging for the Gator Nation — especially under center. Hopefully with the introduction of five-star quarterback DJ Lagway this spring, the program will fare better in its annual event.

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Good, Bad and Ugly: Gators Wire staff’s take on the Orange and Blue Game

Take a look at how the Gators Wire crew felt about the Orange and Blue game this year.

The 2023 edition of the University of Florida’s annual Orange and Blue game, the football program’s pinnacle of the spring practice season, lacked the fireworks on the field the Gator Nation has seen in the past but still provided an important window into the inner machinations of Billy Napier’s coaching philosophies.

Additionally, in recent year, the game has become an important recruiting tool, resulting the game being played on Thursday this year for the second straight spring.

Following the game, the three core members of the Gators Wire staff convened to give their good, bad and ugly takes from Thursday night’s affair. Here is how things broke down.

Friday Hash: Pat Dooley’s morning-after assessment of Florida’s Orange and Blue Game

With a little bit of time to digest last night’s events, Pat Dooley serves us a spring serving of his Friday Hash feature.

As spring games go, Thursday night’s was not one to watch a second time.

Give credit to Florida’s athletic department staff for making it as good as possible with fireworks and way better song selections than usual (that’s a personal choice), but there was little to get excited about.

Remember this – spring games are like distracted conversations. The more time passes, the less likely you are to remember them.

Still, the Friday Hash is here for one more look back at a beautiful night of spring football in Gainesville (What happened to all the rain that was supposed to come?).

Pat Dooley’s Six Pack: Recapping Florida football’s Orange and Blue Game

Want to know what Thursday night’s Orange and Blue game was all about? Pat Dooley’s got you covered.

There was a winner and there was a loser thanks to Billy Napier putting a second on the clock to let his struggling kicker try to win Florida’s spring game.

Credit to place-kicker Trey Smack for perfectly splitting the uprights with a 46-yarder at the buzzer to give the Orange a 10-7 victory over the Blue.

I don’t think SEC fans are trembling if they watch this on replay. I’m not sure if the fanbase is exactly giddy with glee either.

Smack made his kick after missing two others as Florida struggled on offense all night. Or played great defense. Both can be true and Gator fans hope one of them is.

PHOTOS: Highlights from Florida football’s Orange and Blue game

Take a look at an extensive collection of photo highlights from Florida football’s 2023 Orange and Blue game.

Florida football’s 2023 Orange and Blue game was not exactly the brand of riveting football the Gators Nation is looking forward to next fall but the annual intrasquad exhibition gave members of the team a chance to show off what they have learned in recent workouts.

Additionally, the April event has become a focal point of the program’s recruiting efforts — to the extent that the team now plays on Thursday nights to accommodate high school players.

The game did not generate a ton of confidence in the new-look offense as none of the quarterbacks appeared to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. The game ultimately came down to a 46-yard field goal from Trey Smack with no time left on the clock. Team Orange won, 10-7.

Take a look below at an extensive collection of photo highlights from Florida football’s 2023 Orange and Blue game.

Twitter Reactions: Low-scoring Orange and Blue Game draws mixed reviews

It was a low-scoring affair in Gainesville on Thursday as Team Orange took down Team Blue in the Gators’ spring game. Here’s how social media reacted throughout the night.

Florida’s 2023 Orange and Blue game didn’t generate a ton of confidence in the new-look offense, especially at quarterback, as the game was decided on a 46-yard field goal from [autotag]Trey Smack[/autotag] with no time left on the clock. Team Orange won, 10-7.

The spring game is always an interesting night for any college football team. Expectations are set for the coming season, but most fans know that what’s seen in April is rarely what you get in September.

All eyes were on Wisconsin transfer [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag], who is considered the favorite to start at quarterback over [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag], but neither signal-caller shined early. Both found a receiver for a score in the second quarter, but Mertz won the night finishing 18-29 for 244 yards over Miller’s 10 of 20 for 141 yards.

Billy Napier praised his defense in an attempt to make a rather boring exhibition appear more fruitful than it was.

“A lot of young players getting an opportunity to play,” Napier said when asked of his thoughts on the game during the fourth quarter. “New players, alright? Overall, the defense made it a lot harder. You certainly have to be pleased with that given where we’re at as a team. Unbelievable experience for this group. Great film to teach and learn from.”

It wasn’t the greatest or most inspiring spring game any team has ever put together, but Florida has the pieces to build a better team than it had a year ago. Losing [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] hurt, but the defense has taken a step forward, and the running game should still be strong even if it wasn’t on full display tonight.

Here’s how fans and experts reacted throughout the night.

This 5-star RB plans on dropping in to see Orange and Blue Game

This top-ranked running back will be in attendance for Florida’s annual Orange and Blue game.

Florida football’s annual intrasquad scrimmage, affectionately dubbed the Orange and Blue game, has become a strong recruiting tool for the Gators in recent years. On Thursday, April 13, Billy Napier’s crew will take to the field inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium with no shortage of top recruits in attendance.

Among those making their way to Gainesville for the spring event is five-star running back [autotag]Jerrick Gibson[/autotag] out of Bradenton (Florida) IMG Academy, who confirmed his visit with 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong. It will be the third stop with the Orange and Blue this year for the 5-foot-10-inch, 200-pound ball carrier after checking in back in January as well as last weekend on an unofficial visit.

The high school junior has official visits planned this summer with the Georgia Bulldogs, Texas Longhorns, Tennessee Volunteers and Miami Hurricanes, and has one remaining after to use on the Gators if he so chooses. Speaking of Texas, he plans on visiting Austin this coming weekend for their spring game as well.

Gibson is ranked No. 25 overall and No. 1 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 37 and 1, respectively. He holds two crystal ball predictions from 247Sports for the Longhorns who also have a huge lead for his services according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine with a 93.3% chance of landing him; the Gators are second with a 2.5% chance.

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