It's a party... for now

Once again, the Florida defense showed up ready to win, and this time it paid off. (Chris Spears photo)

By Carlton Reese

GatorBait Media

It’s time to celebrate a big victory, a crucial victory, but not a program-saving victory. The Florida Gators needed to beat 9^th-ranked Texas Saturday at The Swamp, lest this become the lost season most fans had already written it up as. So, tonight we party and Sunday we bask in the glow of a big win, but Monday we face some sobering realities.

Get ready for some cold water: Where was the energy? Not on Saturday, but for the first four games this season? Why not in Baton Rouge, or Miami, or against the South Florida Bulls? On Saturday the Gators were what we thought they were, and their energy and fire had a lot to do with it. Is this now the Billy Napier script? The personality of his teams? Place the rope around the neck of the program, slap the horse out from underneath then have that rope shot just before the death throes ensue?

On paper, Florida was every bit as good as LSU, and Miami for that matter. A hobbled D.J. Lagway and an offensive line that somehow thought being labeled ‘great’ meant you didn’t have to actually be great, spelled losses to teams where just showing up and playing at a decent level could have spelled victory. Instead, the Gators are backed into a corner and facing a must-win situation against the team that was the preseason No.1, not much different than in 2024 when a program on its final breath took down LSU and Ole Miss when few believed in them.

“That was the team I thought we had in the very beginning,” Napier said after the 29-21 victory. “It’s been a challenge, and you guys know ‘cause you write about it every day. We handled adversity, now can we handle a little bit of success?”

He’s talking about College Station next week. When everyone sobers up and remembers Texas A&M comes up next, reality will set in. The Aggies are better than Texas, that much is certain.

Why this performance against Texas when the Gators looked so inept – on offense, at least – in their three previous games?

Enter Dallas Wilson. His performance Saturday was truly historic, one like never seen by a true freshman in his starting debut since Emmitt Smith tore off 224 yards at Alabama in 1987. Wilson was who we thought he was… and more. His 55-yard touchdown reception that, quite frankly, put the game out of reach for Texas, was something one would expect from a large junior accustomed to stepping on necks in big-time games. He maintained his balance on the sideline, shook off one tackler in the process then dragged another into the end zone. It was the stuff of Larry Fitzgerald or Calvin Johnson.

Enter a poised D.J. Lagway. Still gimpy, Lagway looked nothing like the blind man that threw five picks at LSU. Perhaps the emergence of Wilson was the rising tide that lifted all the boats, but whatever the reason, Lagway is a different QB: Against Texas, he was who we thought he was. Dare anyone give Billy Napier credit for coaching him up after the nightmare in Baton Rouge?

Enter an offensive line that was what we thought it was. This unit was supposed to be a major strength of this team, but in the three losses was more of a turnstile than a plowshare. Against Texas, though, the Florida offensive line had its best performance against a Longhorn defensive front that was supposedly un-blockable. Florida’s 159 yards rushing might not be eye-popping, but against that defense the number is remarkable. Consider, the current No.1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes managed just 77 yards and 2.3 yards per carry against Texas.

In addition to rushing yards, the Florida line allowed no sacks and just three tackles for losses. Credit due because credit earned. Florida’s 457 total yards against that defense gives a whole heap of hope moving forward.

As for the Florida defense, it has yet to falter this season. That unit is the only reason Florida had chances to win at Baton Rouge and Miami. Against Texas, they were stellar. Most of what the Gators surrendered was late in the game when it was supposed to be over, but wasn’t. The front four was brutal to Texas QB Arch Manning and he was never comfortable even when guiding a furious comeback attempt. Of his 263 yards passing, over half came in the game’s final 19 minutes and never would have happened were it not for his brilliant scrambling out of Gator pressure.

Don’t let the final score of this one fool anybody – Florida thoroughly dominated this game. The Gators led 19-7 at half when it felt like 24-0. The lead was still comfortable when Florida took over with 5:08 to play and ran it three times, forcing the Longhorns to burn all three of their timeouts. Manning’s pass to DeAndre Moore Jr. went for 42 yards under duress and set up Texas for a TD with 3:20 remaining.

Despite completely controlling a football game, Florida’s victory was in doubt, leading 29-21. Two first downs were all it would take to salt it away and Florida got its first following a pooch kick that Vernell Brown had to fall on at the 5. Then came the decision that could have resulted in Napier’s firing right there on the field.

With 1:53 left and Florida trying to kill clock, Napier called timeout. The Gators could have gained zero yards at this point and taken the clock to about 25 seconds; instead, the Longhorns gained possession at their 31-yard line with 55 seconds to play, an eternity in this crazy game. Thankfully, the Gators defense came through again and George Gumbs Jr. sacked Manning at the Florida 42 and time ran out.

Time ran out on the Longhorns, but time still hasn’t run out on Napier who has been granted yet another stay of execution. The noose is still around his neck, so it’s not likely he is partying too much or celebrating this win. Perhaps this is a sign of better things coming down the road, but anyone who’s been paying attention the last two years knows not to count on anything. This team can probably beat anybody, yet every game is a potential loss and, in some cases, a likely loss.

This win feels nice, but we’ve been here before. We’ve left the date skipping home after being kissed on the lips only to be stabbed in the heart not long after. Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may be in College Station.