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The Florida Gators took a rough 33-20 defeat to the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday in a game where coach Billy Napier left the field with an array of boos from Florida fans.
The Aggies (2-1, 1-0 SEC) came into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium having lost 10 consecutive SEC road games and with starting quarterback Connor Weigman sidelined with an injury.
But it was no problem for the Aggies.
Backup quarterback Marcel Reed, a redshirt freshman making his first start, threw two touchdown passes and ran for one to outshine both Florida quarterbacks.
Coming off of a solid win over Samford, the Gators (1-2, 0-1) could not get anything going in the first half against the Aggies.
The question coming into this game was who was going to start at quarterback for the Gators, although Napier said he would utilize both quarterbacks.
Napier elected to start Graham Mertz, but alternated DJ Lagway throughout the game.
First Half
First Quarter
The first quarter was not pretty for the Gators.
The Aggies hit a 31-yard field goal at the 8:14 mark to cap their first drive. They scored again when Reed completed a pass to Theo Melin Ohrstrom for a 29-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left to put the Aggies up 10-0.
The sold-out crowd (89,993) erupted as Lagway ran out onto the field for the last possession of the first quarter in place of Mertz.
At the end of the first quarter, the Gators had four rushes for negative three yards. The Aggies had more points in the first quarter than the Gators had yards.
Lightning in the area then forced a 47-minute delay.
Second Quarter
The second quarter went about the same as the first for the Gators.
Lagway started the second quarter at QB and was sacked by the Aggies’ Solomon DeShields and Shemar Stewart for a loss of 15 yards.
The Gators saw some action a series later when Mertz hit Chimere Dike with a 39-yard dime to the Aggies 36, but could not convert it into points.
Another field goal by Randy Bond, this one from 48 yards, put the Aggies up 13-0 with 9:47 left in the half.
Following another futile UF possession, Texas A&M went on a 15-play, 99-yard scoring drive capped by a 1-yard burst by Reed for a 20-0 lead.
The first half ended with Lagway’s Hail Mary pass being intercepted in the end zone by Texas A&M’s Marcus Ratcliffe.
Second Half
Third Quarter
Florida finally found the end zone with Mertz throwing a 14-yard pass to Elijhah Badger in the end zone for a touchdown. The Gators have scored in 451 consecutive games.
.@Elijhahbadger2 finds the back of the end zone for a Gators touchdown pic.twitter.com/8Cm2STx7w6
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 14, 2024
On the next possession, Reed bounced back with a 73-yard touchdown pass to Cyrus Allen to get up 26-7 on the Gators.
With 6:06 to play in the third, Mertz‘s deflected pass was picked off by Bryce Anderson and returned for 45 yards for a touchdown.
The third quarter ended with another Florida touchdown as Lagway completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Dike to make the game 33-14.
Fourth Quarter
Florida got one more score in the fourth with Ja’Kobi Jackson running the ball for a 2-yard touchdown run.
Lagway’s pass intended for receiver Taylor Spierto was picked off by Jayvon Thomas, which sealed the outcome.
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Final.
Presented by: @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/7FV5qdZo0m
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 15, 2024
Takeaways
The results brought a lot of questions for the future of this Gators team. There is uncertainty heading into these next couple weeks when the Gators face five Top-25 teams.
As Napier left the field, boos were heard through the stadium. Since coming to Florida, Napier is 12-16 (6-11 SEC) and 1-7 in the last eight games.
“When you play a certain way in this arena, you’re going to get criticized,” Napier said. “This is one of those places with history and tradition and expectations.”
It has been reported high-ranking boosters gathered roughly $26 million to cover Napier’s buyout.
The offense struggled to get things going and penalties plagued the defense, which allowed the Aggies to dominate. The Florida defense let up 488 yards. And little hope throughout this game.
This football team has two solid quarterbacks. Mertz threw 12 for 15 for 195 yards and one touchdown and one interception. Lagway was 6-of-13 passing for 54 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. By utilizing these QBs well, the Gators can be a threat to many teams.
Montrell Johnson Jr. had an unfortunate game with seven carries for negative seven yards. However, this is unusual for the starter who rushed for two touchdowns just last week. The Gators bring more to the table when Johnson is on.
Up Next
The Gators travel to Mississippi State (1-2) for their first road game of the season next Saturday. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. (ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF). The Bulldogs lost 41-17 against Toledo on Saturday night.
The Aggies host Bowling Green at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
