Arch Enemy: Tale of Two Struggling Five-Star Quarterbacks
Two Southern-born quarterbacks will face off Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, fighting to reclaim the hype that once surrounded them.
Their story this season is largely the same: two five-star quarterbacks, both with high expectations heading into the season and little production to show for it since.
Texas native DJ Lagway has taken the week off, spending some of the time in a boot. His season, once filled with comparisons to Tim Tebow, sputtered. He threw five interceptions to the LSU defense, the first time a quarterback has thrown that many since 1992.
Meanwhile, born into football royalty, the Manning last name holds a lot of power within American football. Arch, though, has not lived up to the expectations Manning’s performances through his first few starts have been inconsistent. He struggled in the season opener against Ohio State and against UTEP, but had stronger outings against San Jose State and Sam Houston State.
Both have garnered attention since high school. Lagway really pulled it together in his senior year of high school, dominating Friday night lights. 247Sports ranked him No. 4 overall, arguably one of the strongest high school quarterbacks heading into SEC football. Likewise, Arch Manning has had eyes on him since his freshman year of high school. Entering his first year in collegiate ball, he was No. 1 nationally according to 247Sports.
Ahead of Florida’s game against Texas, Lagway is in the process of correcting his mechanics, focusing on efficiency and resetting mentally after a difficult stretch of play. The Gators used to address the issues compounding the Gators’ struggles, which have seen them drop to a 1-3 record.
Florida coach Billy Napier felt like the team was in a good spot heading into the Texas game with home-field advantage.
“It’ll be good to be at home,” he said. “That needs to be a huge advantage for us. We’re going to need our fans to be there and be a huge factor, as they usually are. This has the chance to be a pretty special venue and atmosphere this Saturday afternoon.”
Former coach Steve Spurrier echoed Napier’s sentiments.
“Yeah, it’s gonna be a good one this week,” he said. “We’re well rested. Hopefully, we know our mistakes and areas we can improve, and we’ll see a different ball team out there on Saturday.”
All eyes will be on Manning and Lagway in The Swamp. Both young QBs have experienced repercussions from their less-than-appealing results. Despite being 3-1 on the season, fans booed Manning during his last game.
Florida sophomore quarterback will have an extra boost to help: Dallas Wilson. The five-star freshman from Tampa is returning from a leg injury suffered in the fall camp. With that change for the Gators – and if Arch and DJ can both stay grounded and tune out the noise – we will have an entertaining game at Ben Griffin on Saturday.
Category: College Football, Football, Gators Football
