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TAMPA — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway was not feeling exactly MVP-worthy.
A true freshman already with plenty of hardware, including 2023 Gatorade Football Player of the Year while at Willis (Texas) High, took home another piece following the Gators’ 33-8 win against Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl. But a 305-yard and 1-touchdown effort — the 19-year-old’s best yardage output to date against an FBS foe — felt a bit hollow.
A shutout until the final 30 seconds, Friday’s game at Raymond James Stadium wasn’t as close as the final score. At the same time, the undermanned Green Wave, a 10-point underdog, stayed competitive much of the day.
Lagway was a big reason.
Two first-half interceptions cost his team scoring opportunities, certainly no fewer than six points given placekicker Trey Smack’s confidence on a 4-field goal day.
“I was just playing bad football,” Lagway said. “Not taking care of the football, seeing plays I thought I could make — forcing it. My guys rallied around me … and fixed some things.”
Lagway cleaned up his act during the second half, though he got a little help from his friends.
When he mishandled a snap on 4th-and-1, fellow true freshman KD Daniels scooped up the ball and ran 25 yards for his first career touchdown.
Earlier, Lagway’s 7-yard touchdown pass during a breakout performance by sophomore tight end Tony Livingston from Tampa pushed the Gators’ advantage to 16-0 with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter. The cushion was more than enough against Tulane.
Lagway’s struggles were relative compared with those of Tulane’s Ty Thompson. A fourth-year player and first-year Oregon transfer threw an interception to Trikweze Bridges on the game’s opening play — a failed flea-flicker attempt — and never found a rhythm.
Thompson did not resemble the top-10 quarterback…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/uf-qb-dj-lagway-overcomes-185000581.html
Author : Orlando Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-12-21 18:50:00
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