Year Later, Florida Looks to Flip Script on Texas A&M
Before this week’s matchup between Florida and No. 5 Texas A&M, let’s take a look back at how things went down the last time these two met in Gainesville. Can Florida flip the script this time?
In the Sept. 14, 2024 game, the Aggies came away with a 33-20 win, a loss that turned frustration into full-blown unrest for Florida fans. At that point, patience with coach Billy Napier was running out.
It ended up being a breakout night for A&M redshirt freshman quarterback Marcel Reed, who made his first career start after Conner Weigman was ruled out with an AC sprain in his throwing shoulder.
Reed made the most of his shot, completing 11-of-17 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns. He added another 83 yards and a score on the ground, to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his performance. His 73-yard bomb to Cyrus Allen was the highlight of a game that saw the Aggies lead by as much as 26 points.
Weigman later lost his job for good when Reed replaced him midway through a 38-23 win against LSU. The then-sophomore transferred to Houston after the season.
For Florida, the night reflected the ongoing adjustments at quarterback. Graham Mertz returned from a concussion that kept him out against Samford, where DJ Lagway threw for a program freshman record 456 yards as well as three touchdowns in his first career start. Against A&M, Napier used both quarterbacks again: Mertz went 12 of 15 for 195 yards with one touchdown. Lagway finished 6 of 13 for 54 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, including a Hail Mary picked off to end the first half.
“Our intention the entire time has been to play DJ in every game,” Napier said before the game. “We intend to use both of them.”
The offense never got going. The Gators managed just 52 rushing yards as a team, and a third-quarter pick-six thrown by Mertz erased any hope of a comeback. Florida receivers Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike were among the few bright spots, combining for 185 yards and two touchdowns in what would be their final seasons before heading to the NFL.
Napier left the field to boos at halftime and the final whistle, and reports surfaced afterward that boosters had begun raising about $26 million to cover his potential buyout.
Nearly a year later, Florida once again finds itself in a familiar spot, searching for answers after a shaky 2-3 start that’s fallen short of expectations. Saturday’s 7 p.m. game offers a chance to change the story, as the Gators look to channel the same energy they had in 2022 at College Station, when Napier’s team handled the Aggies 41-24. The Gators (2-3, 1-1 SEC) need that kind of performance again this weekend, not just to beat the Aggies (5-0, 2-0), but to steady a season already hanging in the balance.
Coverage of Saturday’s game will start at 4 p.m. on WRUF 98.1FM/850AM 104.3 HD-2.
Category: College Football, Gators Football, SEC, Uncategorized
