Question of the day: How to make a 2-QB system work for the Florida Gators?

Billy Napier has to figure out how to give DJ Lagway more of the offense (Photo by Chris Spears)

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:

The $64,000 question for Billy Napier as the Gators begin their preparation for Saturday’s first Southeastern Conference game of the season with Texas A&M is how to integrate DJ Lagway into a more prominent role in the offensive scheme without affecting the team chemistry? In Saturday night’s 45-7 win over Samford, Lagway had the chance to show the whole wide world why he was the No. 1 high school quarterback in the country at the expense of Graham Mertz, who missed the game under concussion protocol.

Graham Mertz is a brilliant student of the game, the consummate team guy and a leader who spent the eight months from January until August making sure the Florida football team bonded together in ways that have been absent at UF for a long time. He is a good, efficient college football quarterback but DJ Lagway has a generational skill set. He is easily more athletic than Mertz and as he showed launching deep balls, he has both the arm strength, accuracy and touch that 99.9 percent of all college quarterbacks have only in their dreams.

Mertz knows the offense well enough to coach it and there is nothing Texas A&M will be able to throw at him Saturday that he hasn’t already seen before. His ability to read defenses brings real value to the offense, but Lagway’s ability to make sensational plays also brings real value. There is no way Lagway can read a defense the way Mertz does, just as there is no way Mertz can make a precision throw like the one Lagway threaded 41 yards downfield for a touchdown to Aidan Mizell Saturday night.

Clearly, Billy Napier needs both Mertz and Lagway but once again, there is that matter of team chemistry. Urban Meyer had a similar situation with senior Chris Leak and 5-star freshman Tim Tebow back in 2006 and he was able to make it work. It was Leak’s team but Tebow had a necessary and prominent role in Florida’s success.

Given the difficulty of Florida’s schedule, the last thing Napier can afford is to disrupt team chemistry. Mertz is his team leader with 44 games of starting experience, 12 at the University of Florida. Lagway is a budding superstar who needs more than a few plays a game to force opposing defensive coordinators to spend an inordinate amount of time prepping for two QBs with completely different skills set.

It Florida football coach Billy Napier heads into a critical SEC opener against Texas A&M saying he will use both QBs, Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway, vs the Aggies. It seems obvious that Napier needs both quarterbacks. Mertz can’t do what Lagway can do and there is no way Lagway is ready to handle what opposing defensive coordinators are going to throw his way. Given the difficulty of the 10 games remaining on the Florida schedule, Napier is going to need both Mertz and Lagway to break a 3-year cycle of losing records.

The situation calls for a 2-quarterback system, but history tells us that except for rare occasions, they typically fail because of issues with egos and loyalty. This is the tricky part since it involves more than just the quarterbacks but the entire team. Everybody has to buy in if it is going to work.   

And, once everyone has bought in to the concept, it’s a matter of figuring out how many plays or series to give each of his quarterbacks. There is also the matter of finding out which combinations of skill players and linemen function best with each quarterback.

This is no easy task but for the Gators to have a chance at a winning record, Napier is going to have to find a way to make it work. If he hasn’t already, he needs Urban Meyer, Chris Leak and Tim Tebow on speed dial to find some answers.

UF SPORTS WEEKEND

Volleyball: The Gators finished off the Florida Invitational with a 3-1 win over Ohio State at the O-Dome. After Ohio State (3-1) took the first set, 25-20, the 10th-ranked Gators (5-1) came back to take the next three, 25-20, 25-23 and 23-21. Isabel Martin led a balanced Florida attack that saw four Gators with double-digit kills. Martin had 14 kills and a pair of blocks. Next match: at No. 19 Georgia Tech, Wednesday

Men’s golf: The Gators finished second place at the Sahalee Players Championship in Seattle with a 4-over par 868. Jack Turner finished in a 4th-place tie at -2 while Ian Gilligan finished even par and in an 8th-place tie. Next tournament: Fighting Illini Collegiate at Olympia Fields in Chicago, Friday

Soccer: The Gators (2-1-3) dropped a 3-0 decision to 3rd-ranked Florida State (5-0-1) Sunday before a crowd of 1,294 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. Next match: vs. Kennesaw State, Thursday

EIGHT SEC TEAMS RANKED IN AP/COACHES TOP 25

(SEC teams bold face)

Associated Press top 25: 1. Georgia 2-0; 2. Texas 2-0; 3. Ohio State 2-0; 4. Alabama 2-0; 5. Ole Miss 2-0; 6. Missouri 2-0; 7. Tennessee 2-0; 8. Penn State 2-0; 9. Oregon 2-0; 10. Miami 2-0; 11. Southern California 2-0; 12. Utah 2-0; 13. Oklahoma State 2-0; 14. Kansas State 2-0; 15. Oklahoma 2-0; 16. LSU 1-1; 17. Michigan 1-1; 18. Notre Dame 1-1; 19. Louisville 2-0; 20. Arizona 2-0; 21. Iowa State 2-0; 22. Clemson 1-1; 23. Nebraska 2-0; 24. Boston College 2-0; 24. Northern Illinois 2-0

Coaches top 25: 1. Georgia 2-0; 2. Ohio State 2-0; 3. Texas 2-0; 4. Alabama 2-0; 5. Ole Miss 2-0; 6. Oregon 2-0; 7. Penn State 2-0; 8. Missouri 2-0; 9. Tennessee 2-0; 10. Utah 2-0; 11. Southern California 2-0; 12. Miami 2-0; 13. Oklahoma 2-0; 14. Oklahoma State 2-0; 15. Kansas State 2-0; 16. Michigan 1-1; 17. LSU 1-1; 18. Arizona 2-0; 19. Notre Dame 1-1; 20. Clemson 1-1; 21. Louisville 2-0; 22. Washington 2-0; 23. Iowa Stae 2-0; 24. Nebraska 2-0; 25. Memphis 2-0

SEC FOOTBALL

No. 4 Alabama (2-0): Don’t let the final score (42-16) fool you. South Florida had Alabama on the ropes until the fourth quarter. Through three quarters Alabama had 14 points and 140 total yards. Next Saturday: at Wisconsin (2-0)

Arkansas (1-1): The Hogs outgained Okie State 648-385 and still found a way to lose in double overtime. Taylen Green threw for 416 yards and ran for 61 but on the last play of the game threw the ball in the dirt when he had a wide open receiver at the Okie State five. Next Saturday: UAB (1-1)

Auburn (1-1): Quarterback Payton Thorne declared “the season is not over” after the Tigers dropped a 21-14 decision to California at home. The Tigers might have won the game if Thorne hadn’t completed four passes to the other team. Next Saturday: New Mexico (0-2)

No. 1 Georgia (2-0): Next Saturday: at Kentucky (1-1)

Kentucky (1-1): Kentucky’s offense is the worst in the SEC and No. 125 nationally. At one point against South Carolina, the Cats ran the ball 18 consecutive snaps because they couldn’t pass protect. Next Saturday: No. 1 Georgia (2-0)

No. 16 LSU (1-1): The Tigers haven’t allowed a sack in two games, but now they go against South Carolina which has 10 in two games … QB Garrett Nussmeier threw for six touchdowns in the win over Nicholls State. Next Saturday: at South Carolina (2-0)

Mississippi State (1-1): The Bulldogs gave up 346 rushing yards to Arizona State … Mississippi State spotted Arizona State a 30-3 lead before the offense woke up to score the final 20 points of the game. Saturday: Toledo (2-0)

No. 6 Missouri (2-0): Mizzou’s offense has destroyed two straight overmatched opponents. Next up is Boston College, whose defense is allowing 214 yards and only  6.5 points per game. Next Saturday: Boston College (2-0)

No. 15 Oklahoma (2-0): The Sooners have won two games despite an inept offense that is good for only 313.5 yards per game. The defense has done its part, though, giving up only 257.5 yards a game. Next Saturday: Tulane (1-1)

No. 5 Ole Miss (2-0): Jaxson Dart set an SEC record with 24 straight completions in the win over Middle Tennessee State. In two games, Dart is 47-54 (87 percent) for 795 yards (14.7 per attempt) and six TDs without a pick. Next Saturday: at Wake Forest (1-1)

South Carolina (2-0): The Gamecocks pass rush was so ferocious against Kentucky that the Wildcats managed only 44 passing yards. UK quarterback Brock Vandagriff was 3-10 for 30 yards and a pick before he was benched.  Next Saturday: No. 16 LSU (1-1)

No. 7 Tennessee (2-0): The offense gets all the attention at UT, but the defense ranks sixth nationally, giving up just 185 yards per game. Opponents are averaging only 1.79 yards per rush attempt and 5.6 yards per pass attempt. Next Saturday: Kent State (0-2)

No. 2 Texas (2-0): It wasn’t a shock that the Longhorns beat Michigan at the Big House, but the way they manhandled the Wolverines on both sides of the line of scrimmage definitely was. Michigan managed only 3.48 yards per rush attempt and the Texas O-line gave up zero sacks. Next Saturday: UT-San Antonio (1-1)

Texas A&M (1-1): The Aggies did most of their damage on the ground against McNeese State, running for 333 yards while averaging 8.76 yards per carry. LeVeon Moss was 9-84 yards running the ball while Amari Daniels was 12-75 for two TDs. Next Saturday: at FLORIDA (1-1)

Vanderbilt (2-0): New Mexico State transfer QB has been a difference maker so far, hitting 75.9 percent of his passes while running for an additional 159 yards. Next Saturday: at Georgia State (1-1)

FOOTBALL AROUND THE STATE:

Florida Atlantic (0-2): The Owls couldn’t stop Army’s funky option offense, allowing 405 rushing yards. Next Saturday: Florida International (2-0)

Florida International (1-1): In walloping Central Michigan and Jim McElwain. 52-16, the Panthers intercepted five passes and recovered a fumble. Next Saturday: at Florida Atlantic (0-2)

Florida State (0-2): Florida State opened as a 5-point favorite against Memphis, where HBC Mike Norvell was the coach prior to taking the job at FSU. Next Saturday: Memphis (2-0)

No. 12 Miami (2-0): Through two games, Cam Ward has thrown for 689 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 11.3 yards per attempt. Next Saturday: Ball State (1-0)

South Florida (1-1): The Bulls gave up 253 yards and 21 points in the fourth quarter when they lost to Alabama 42-16. Next Saturday: at Southern Miss (1-1)

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: It has only taken a few years, but the long arm of the NCAA finally caught up with Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway. In coaching circles, Hardaway is viewed as a rogue who never met a rule he wasn’t willing to break. Hardaway was known as a cheater when he was a Memphis high school coach but that didn’t seem to deter University of Memphis boosters or admin when they hired him. Since then one allegation after another has followed him until now, when a combination of academic issues with his players and allegations of buying recruits has caught up with him.

Hardaway is a local legend dating back to his high school and then his collegiate days at the university so it may take some serious courage on the part of the administration to pull the plug. They may choose to go down with the ship rather than do the right thing, which is to push him out and start all over again.

Before Penny, the head coach at Memphis was Tubby Smith. There wasn’t a hint of scandal under Tubby but his 20 wins a year weren’t enough for the boosters so he was forced out. Tubby had integrity. There is so much talent in Memphis that had he been willing to cheat he might still be the coach.

That no one has stepped up and made it clear that Penny Hardaway should be sent packing seems to be a loud and clear message that at Memphis integrity is less important than winning even if you have to cheat to do it.