No Time to Celebrate: Gators Eye No. 5 A&M After Texas Upset

Florida’s upset against No. 9 Texas in The Swamp gave the Gators their first SEC win of the season, but the postgame celebration was short-lived.

Coach Billy Napier spoke Monday about how the Gators will have to move past the result quickly and look ahead to Saturday game against No. 5 Texas A&M.

“You don’t have much time to think about it or enjoy it because you got to turn around and play an outstanding Texas A&M team,” Napier said at his weekly news conference.

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After a 1-3 start for program – its first since 1986 –  all eyes were on Billy Napier and Co. in Gainesville. The Gators came out on top in Ben Hill-Griffin Stadium, taking down the Longhorns 29–21.

Napier discussed a series of topics, including how Florida executed in key moments during the win and the team’s growth since the season opener.

“I think my mindset was good. I was impressed with our ability to get the energy level back to where it needed to be. Sometimes when you go through challenges, it’s tough to bring the enthusiasm required to do the level of work that we do,” Napier said. “But I think we did that and that’s why I respect the players for that.”

Starting quarterback DJ Lagway earned SEC Player of the Week honors for his two-touchdown performance, while throwing for 298 yards on 21 of 28 passing against the Longhorns. while wide receiver Taylor Spierto was named co-SEC Player of the Week for special teams.

“He communicated better … played within the system,” Napier said. “He threw a ton of completions andplayed on time which was impressive to me.” 

Freshman Dallas Wilson made a massive impact in Florida’s win with two touchdowns and over 100 yards for the Gators and earned SEC Freshman Player of the Week honors.

“He’s really unique. Size, play strength, catch radius … just his presence as a person,” Napier said. “I think he’s got incredible energy. You look forward to being around him and he brings a competitive spirit to the practice field.”

After Napier stepped down, freshman receiver Vernell Brown III made his first media appearance as a Gator. He spoke about his dream to be a Gator and what his legacy means to him. 

“It means everything, not only my family members come here but growing up in Gainesville, all I saw was the Gators.” Brown said. “When I was younger, I used to have Gators sheets and a Gator room so growing up I always wanted to play for the Gators.”

Afterwards, sophomore linebacker Myles Graham came up to the podium. He spoke about the challenge of playing on the road and how Florida fans helped their team Saturday.

“Theres nothing like playing on the road in the SEC, but it’s definitely a challenge … the communication, sticking together you don’t got your fans like Gator nation had our back this weekend,” Graham said.

Senior center Jake Slaughter also spoke to the press Monday, touching on the offense’s improvement this weekend. 

“We made a strong commitment to running the ball and we were consistent and I think execution was good across the board,” Slaughter said. “I can not compliment DJ enough about the way he moved around the pocket and got the ball out on time.”

Florida now gears up for a road trip to Kyle Field  against the Aggies Saturday at 7 p.m. 

Category: College Football, Gators Football, SEC