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When Florida football freshman quarterback DJ Lagway electrified the crowd at The Swamp in his first career start in September, it came with a caveat.
It was Samford.
Throwing for a Florida Gators freshman record 456 yards against an FCS school, as Lagway did against the Bulldogs, is one thing. But Lagway showed in his second career start against Kentucky on Saturday he could more than hold his own dealing with the every-down pressure of facing an SEC defense.
Lagway connected on five pass plays of 40 yards or more during UF’s 48-20 rout of the Wildcats, finishing the game 7 of 14 for 259 yards, an average of 37 yards per completion.
That statistic caused Kentucky coach Mark Stoops to do a double-take during his postgame press conference.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that, in any secondary I’ve been a part of,” Stoops said. “We knew DJ … heck, is this right? Seven completions?”
Stoops is known for his defensive acumen and held Florida offenses under head coach Billy Napier and Dan Mullen to 14.3 points per game during UK’s three-game win over UF before Saturday. But Lagway’s ability to stretch the field and even execute designed runs when needed (46 yards rushing), energized the Florida offense.
“Made some plays with his feet, too,” Florida football coach Billy Napier said. “That gets overlooked. The read element in the run game, and then there are a few where they covered and he scrambled and was able to make some plays. He’s only going to get better.
“Obviously, the work that he does between Sunday to Saturday contributes to what you see out there.”
Can QB DJ Lagway save Florida football coach Billy Napier’s job?
Lagway improved to 2-0 as a starter at Florida following the win over the Wildcats. But the true proving ground for the 19-year-old from Willis, Texas, will come in the next four games.
After an open week, next…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/florida-football-qb-dj-lagway-080428545.html
Author : The Gainesville Sun
Publish date : 2024-10-22 08:04:28
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