Swampcast talks about Florida Football, Texas A&M and UF’s two-QB system
Kevin Brockway and Noah Ram of The Sun are joined by Carter Karles of GigEm 247Sports to discuss the Florida vs. TAMU matchup and the Florida quarterback situation.
The Florida football team was unable to muster the necessary intensity in its SEC opener against Texas A&M.
In a result that could cost Florida Gators coach Billy Napier his job, the Gators were outplayed at the line of scrimmage and failed to make enough big plays on offense, losing 20-30 in a 33-20 loss to Texas A&M in front of 89,993 fans at The Swamp.
Florida (1-2, 0-1 SEC) fell to 12-16 under Napier and to 6-11 in league play under its third-year coach.
Texas A&M took a 20-0 halftime lead and didn’t let up. The Aggies outscored Florida 310-52 in the running game and scored touchdowns of 92 and 99 yards in the first half.
TAMU (2-1, 1-0 SEC) ended a 10-game losing streak and earned its first road win since beating Missouri 35-14 on Oct. 16, 2021. They did it without starting quarterback Connor Weigman, who was sidelined for a short time with a shoulder injury. Redshirt freshman Marcel Reed was a more than adequate replacement for Weigman, throwing for 178 yards with 2 TDs and adding 83 rushing yards and another rushing TD.
Florida used its two-quarterback system, with senior Graham Mertz and freshman DJ Lagway alternating series. Mertz completed 12 of 15 passes for 195 yards with 1 TD and 1 interception, while Lagway completed 6 of 13 passes for 54 yards with 1 TD and 2 interceptions.
| team | 1 quarter | 2nd quarter | 3rd quarter | 4th quarter | Score |
| Florida | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| Texas A&M | 10 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 33 |
Ja’Kobi Jackson scores a 2-yard touchdown run to cut Texas A&M’s lead to 33-20. Quarterback Graham Mertz led a touchdown run that covered 78 yards in nine plays. Florida attempted a two-point conversion and failed. Texas A&M 33, Florida 20, 5:13 remaining.
Texas A&M defeated Florida 409-207. Another poor performance by UF’s defense and two turnovers on offense didn’t help matters.
Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway leads Florida on a 10-play, 72-yard touchdown drive capped by a 7-yard touchdown pass from Lagway to wide receiver Chimere Dike. Texas A&M 33, Florida 14, 1:04 left in the third quarter.
Texas A&M defensive back Dalton Brooks is ejected for targeted attack.
Texas A&M extends its lead over Florida to 33-7 with a pick six when Bryce Anderson returns an interception 45 yards for a touchdown. The interception came from Graham Mertz as he attempted to throw a slant pass to Elijhah Badger on 3rd-and-9, but the ball bounced off Badger’s hands and landed in the hands of Anderson, who easily scored a touchdown.
Texas A&M responds with a quick touchdown as Reed throws his second touchdown pass of the game, a 73-yard pass to Cyrus Allen that puts TAMU back up 26-7. A communication problem in the secondary left Allen completely free on the play. The Aggies attempted a two-point conversion and failed. Texas A&M 26, Florida 7, 9:15 minutes left in the third quarter.
Florida scores a much-needed touchdown early in the third quarter as the Gators, with Mertz at quarterback, travel 75 yards in 7 plays, capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Mertz to wide receiver Elijhah Badger. Texas A&M 20, Florida 7, 11:49 left in the third quarter.
Florida trailed 20-0 at halftime after Texas A&M outscored the Gators 302-73 in the first half. Some boos at The Swamp as Florida players and coaches walked into the tunnel, and more boos when head coach Billy Napier was shown on the big screen for a PSA spot.
Texas A&M drove 99 yards in 15 plays and scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run by quarterback Marcel Reed to give the team a 20-0 lead with 44 seconds left in the first half. The run was aided by a personal foul penalty on defensive back Trikweze Bridges, who was ejected on the play.
Florida defensive back Trikweze Bridges is sent off for leading a tackle with the crown of his helmet. Another blow to the defense
Texas A&M extends its lead over Florida, 13-0, thanks to a 48-yard field goal by Randy Bond that caps a nine-play, 24-yard drive.
Florida announces game is expected to resume at 5:17 p.m. ET
Florida and Texas A&M have a weather delay because lightning was recorded within 8 miles of The Swamp. UF trails TAMU 10-0. Find updates here.
Florida trails 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Gators were outscored 174-8 in the first 15 minutes. Not good.
DJ Lagway will start the second series at quarterback for Florida after the Gators trailed 10-0 late in the first quarter.
Texas A&M extends its lead to 10-0 when Marcel Reed completes a 29-yard touchdown pass to T. Merlin Ohrstrom, capping a nine-play, 92-yard touchdown drive that was aided by a holding penalty on Florida cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. that led to a fourth down. Texas A&M 10, Florida 0 with 18 seconds left in the first quarter.
Texas A&M took an early 3-0 lead over Florida in the first quarter on a 31-yard field goal by Randy Bond. The Aggies completed 14 plays for 62 yards behind backup quarterback Marcel Reed. UF’s defense struggled on third down, as TAMU only made 2 of 3 third down attempts to start the game.
Connor Weigman (shoulder) will not start for Texas A&M against Florida. Redshirt freshman Marcel Reed will start in Weigman’s place for the first time in his career.
Mandatory SEC Availability Report for Florida-Texas A&M football team: Ten players are out for the Gators, including UF wide receiver Eugene Wilson III.
Kick-off time for the Florida football team against Samford
- Date: Saturday, September 14
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field (also known as The Swamp)
What channel is the Florida vs. Samford football game on tonight?
History of the Florida and Samford football teams
- Series record: 3:3 draw
- Last meeting: Florida defeats Texas A&M 41-24 (November 5, 2022)
In a game that Napier must win for his future at UF, Florida will establish the run early. Mertz and Lagway will both make enough plays in the passing game and Florida’s defense will make stops in the red zone to help the Gators come away with the win.
Predicting the final result: Florida 24, Texas A&M 16
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, September 13
Betting offer: Texas A&M-4
Over/Under: 46.5 points
According to Weather.com, the forecast for the Florida-Texas A&M game at kickoff in Gainesville is a temperature of 28 degrees and a wind from the north-northeast at 5 mph. The forecast calls for isolated thunderstorms with a 57% chance of rain.
Tickets for the Florida football game are available through Ticketmaster or secondary markets such as StubHub, Vivid Seats and SeatGeek.
VIEW TICKETS FOR EVERY FLORIDA GAME THIS SEASON
- August 31: Miami (N, 41-17)
- September 7: Samford (win, 45-7)
- September 14: Texas A&M
- September 21: at Mississippi State
- 28 September: Bye
- October 5: UCF
- October 12: in Tennessee
- October 19: Kentucky
- October 26: Bye
- November 2: Georgia (Jacksonville)
- November 9: in Texas
- November 16: LSU
- November 23: Ole Miss
- November 30: at Florida State
- Record: 1-1
- August 31: Norte Dame (L, 23-13)
- September 7: McNeese State (W, 52-10)
- September 14: in Florida
- 21 September: Bowling Green
- September 28: Arkansas (Arlington, Texas)
- October 5: Missouri
- October 12: Bye
- October 19: at Mississippi State
- October 26: LSU
- November 2nd: in South Carolina
- November 9: Bye
- November 16: New Mexico State
- 23 November: in Auburn
- November 30: Texas
- Record: 1-1
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