“I need your help, Barry Manilow. I’m miserable and I don’t know what to do. Sing me a song, sing it sad and low. No one knows how to suffer quite like you.” – Ray “I Need Your Help Barry Manilow” by Ray Stevens Moments after the field was cleared Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for a lightning delay with 11 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Jacksonville sports talk guru Terry Norvelle quipped, “Has any coach in college football history been fired during a weather delay?”   It was bad then but Texas A&M’s lead was only 10-0. It got progressively worse when play resumed 47 minutes later. Rock bottom was hit when the clock flatlined at 00:00 to end the first half with the Aggies leading the Florida Gators 20-0.   Texas A&M won this fiasco, 33-20, but don’t be fooled. It wasn’t that close. Miserable would be a much more accurate description. Even with a true freshman who only got the start after the regular QB experienced shoulder pain in warmups, the Aggies dominated the Gators, methodically chewing them up and spitting them out. The Aggies played the way an SEC team is supposed to. They were rough. They were tough. They were relentless.   With few exceptions, the Gators played like refugees from one of the NCAA’s lower divisions. They were reminiscent of that line from the Sermon on the Mount that says “the meek shall inherit the earth.”   Aggie domination showed up in total yards – 488-301 – and in a 37:26 differential in time of possession. A more than 15-minute difference in possession time means the defense can’t get stops and the offense isn’t giving any help by controlling the football.   Dog’s butt ugly is what it was.   By the time this one came to a merciful end, a vast majority of the 89,993 who bought tickets were left feeling like Wile E. Coyote freefalling to the bottom of a deep canyon after his rocket-powered roller skates purchased mail order from Acme sputtered and died before he could catch The Roadrunner.   Oh splat!   What made this loss so hard to take was its resemblance to so many games in the Napier era at Florida. In the season opener against Miami, the Gators were grabbed by the lapels and slapped silly. Against the Aggies they were once again brutalized on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Against both Miami and the Aggies, the Gators couldn’t block, couldn’t tackle and were powerless to stop big plays. In both games, the Gators couldn’t run the football (25 carries, 52 yards vs. A&M) and they struggled in pass protection which led to three interceptions in both games.   Not only did the Gators fail to stop the A&M running game (310 yards, 5.6 per carry) but they couldn’t sack Marcel Reed even though they tried to daze and confuse him with every blitz known to mankind. The Aggies didn’t turn the ball over, didn’t give up a sack and only punted once.   Texas A&M hit 15 big plays that gained 323 yards – five pass plays that were good for 159 yards and 10 running plays for 164. That’s an average of 21.5 yards per big play. On their other 57 plays, the Aggies gained 165 yards, an average of 2.89 per play.   That’s not dissimilar to the Miami game when the Hurricanes ran off one big play after another. How many other games in the past two years have the Gators lost because they gave up a ton of big plays?   Too many. That’s how many.     When the Gators marched down the field to score on a 14-yard Graham Mertz pass to Elijhah Badger on the opening drive of the third quarter, it set off a wave of hope that a comeback rally was in the works. The Aggies stomped that notion into oblivion on the Aggies’ second play after the Gators kicked off. Reed rolled to his left, set his feet and heaved to Cyrus Allen, running free as a banshee some 40 or so yards down the field. Once the ball was secured in his hands, Allen ran through the Florida secondary which looked like kids chasing the ice cream truck. One more big play, this one good for crushing any thought of a successful Florida comeback.   There were no comebacks to be had on this night. By the time this game ended before a near-empty stadium, message boards were filling up fast with calls for Napier to be fired. Steve Russell’s post game call-in show on WRUF was scorching hot with demands for both Napier and athletic director Scott Stricklin to be canned.   This isn’t the first time in the Napier era that the fan base has erupted with calls for his dismissal, but it might be the last time because there is every chance Napier won’t survive past Monday. If reports from various outlets are correct, the University of Florida Athletic Association Board of Trustees will meet this morning to decide when, not if, Napier’s gainful employment as the Gator head football coach will come to an end. Reputable people say adequate buyout money has either been collected or pledged, somewhere in the neighborhood of $26 million. From another report, Dan Enos, who has head coaching experience at Central Michigan and several years experience as an SEC offensive coordinator, will be the interim.   It wasn’t supposed to be this way for Napier, but it wasn’t supposed to end in similar fashion for Ron Zook, Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain or Dan Mullen, either. None of them got to finish out their final season before the hammer came down and buyout checks were written. The only coach since Steve Spurrier (2001) to leave on his own volition was Urban Meyer (2005-2010), who won 65 games and two national championships.   It could be argued that neither Zook, Muschamp or McElwain was remotely qualified for a job with such a championship past and high expectations. Mullen had plenty of experience and won big his first three years but never seemed to grasp the concept that you can’t sustain excellence over the long haul if you refuse to hire assistant coaches who can recruit at a high level. Still, Mullen, along with Zook, Muschamp and McElwain departed with millions in buyout money and all of them had winning records to show for their time at Florida.   Like the others, Napier will get the millions in buyout money. Unlike the others, he is likely to leave with a 12-16 record and have the distinction of becoming the first coach to leave UF with a losing record since Raymond Wolf went 9-23-2 from 1946-49.   Napier was hired in December of 2021 after the higher ups at the University Athletic Association decided to pull the plug on Dan Mullen after four seasons rather than allow him another year to atone for his only bad season. In the three previous seasons to 2021, Mullen got the Gators to New Year’s Six bowl games. Even though the 2021 season ended with a losing (6-7) record, the Gators did go to a bowl game. The Gators got stomped in Napier’s only bowl game after season one.     It is an unceremonious end for Napier, who was supposed to be the guy who could coach, recruit, rebuild a championship foundation while restoring the honor of the Florida football program and best of all, halt the revolving door of coaches since Spurrier’s 2001 retirement. In an attempt to end the cycle, Napier was given all the money and resources he needed including the Heavener Football Center, an absolute palace that ranks equal to or better than 95 percent of the standalone football complexes in all of college football.   None of that has mattered enough to turn the program around.   The fan base might have chosen to stick with Napier if 2024 had shown the progress he promised from spring football onward. This was supposed to be a much better team than the one that went 6-7 in 2022 and 5-7 in 2023, but the Gators look poorly coached because they are still plagued by the same mistakes they’ve been making all along.   It was Vince Lombardi who said, “Football is blocking and tackling. Everything else is mythology.” The Gators don’t block well and their tackling is atrocious. The many off the field accomplishments Napier often points to are wonderful, but they haven’t resulted in winning football games, so there is more of what Lombardi called mythology going on than what wins ball games.   The starting lineups of teams that win championships are more often two or three Boy Scouts surrounded by a bunch of borderline psychopaths. Napier points out a locker room filled with high character guys, but what he can’t point out are starting lineups that relentlessly pursue and attain wins. The Gators play nice when they need to play like ogres. It’s great to be nice, but Napier is paid more than $7.3 million to win football games and the Gators haven’t won despite wholesale changes in his coaching staff, boatloads of analysts and spending more money than any coach in Florida history.   All that should result in tangible evidence of success but here we are three games into season three of Napier’s tenure and the only two decent teams the Gators have played kneecapped them. Napier hasn’t made excuses after either of the losses, but his “we have to play better” or “we have to coach better” explanations no longer resonate with the fan base. Judging by the way the team has played in the losses to Miami and Texas A&M, you have to wonder if they resonate with the team.   A Florida fan base that was teetering on the verge after the Miami game was lost Saturday against the Aggies. Instead of visible righteous anger from the head coach after those two losses, Napier was very, very nice. The way the Gators played in those two games was a reflection of their head coach’s demeanor.   As nice as Billy Napier is, anger and fire seem to be missing from his public demeanor. Perhaps he’s intense at practice, but the intensity is absent on game day when the Gators need it most. Rip your head off if you get in my way football seems to be in hibernation when it comes to the Florida Gators.     That is precisely why it’s past time to change coaches. Perhaps nice will work somewhere else, but it isn’t working here. Since 85 scholarship players can’t be fired, the only other choice is to say thanks but you can’t work here anymore to the head coach.   The sooner Billy Napier is gone, the sooner feelers can go out to Jimmy Sexton and Trace Armstrong, the two most powerful coach’s agents in the country. Florida needs a successor who will breathe fire into the program, demand winning and run off anyone who can’t embrace his agenda.   Unfortunately,  Billy Napier is not that man.

Right now, as a sit here on the third Sunday of the season in the aftermath of yet another Florida football fiasco, I am dumbfounded, pissed and, for one of the few times in my life, clueless about the sport and team I have covered off and on for 60 years. It’s almost sundown on another day and somehow Billy Napier has apparently survived, which feels like a Dead Man Walking Vigil. My good buddies are begging me for encouragement. But I am seeing only empty glasses — not even half full. Twelve hours ago I put myself on writing restriction for fear of what I may say in anger and disgust. Surely time would improve my perspective? Instead, as I plundered through social media today, it got worse as I read things like— “Reminder: Florida has a co-offensive coordinator and a co-defensive coordinator making $1 million and $1.1 million, respectively, and neither of them call plays.” (Also an S&C coach who is being paid as an administrator). And: “Per terms of conrtact, Florida football coach Billy Napier would be owed 50 percent of a buyout within 30 days of termination if he's fired without cause. Right now, that figure stands at close to $14 million.” And finally: “Of his past 15 games against power conference opponents, this was his seventh consecutive setback, including four at home. “Napier is now 10-6 at Florida Field, giving him more losses in the Swamp in two-plus seasons than Steve Spurrier (68-5) and Urban Meyer (35-5) had in their highly successful stints in Gainesville. “If Florida does fire Napier, his buyout would be roughly $26 million. Sources told ESPN's Chris Low that high-ranking boosters have gathered the money to fund the buyout. “Florida paid DanMullen $12 million when he was fired. “Napier's 28-game tenure would be the shortest in 100 years for the program; James Alward Van Fleet coached 19 games over the 1923-24 seasons, went 12-3-4 and then left to continue his military service and eventually became an Army general.” I guess what has eaten at me most is that I, along with other well-meaning, responsible, honorable fans and media members, have allowed an interloper to come in to our house, take over while keeping us at arm’s length, spending millions and millions of our dollars, and show no compunction for the suffering Gator Nation, even taunting those "rural basement dwellers" for their perceived ignorance (even if he awkwardly did try to recant it later.) It feels like we have been engulfed in hopelessness. Is that quitting? “Most of the really good Gator fans I know are angry and discouraged,”said my True Blue Gator bestie Randy, “but no matter how bad it gets they would never just quit.” I get dizzy just tracing the spiraling downward footsteps of self-destruction. How does a guy get so bad right before our eyes that he gets labeled as “the worst coach in school history” in a season where many drank his Kool-Aid that he was turning it around? (Including me.) “We got conned,” said a very key money man. It reminds me of the old story about the captain of the Titanic, when asked what was going on, replied “we’re just stopping for ice.” Yet he’s still gainfully employed as captain. Even Billy admitted, after assessing the so-called changes that were supposed to to lead to a competitive game vs. Miami, “we forgot the football part.” The truth is that many of us worry that, like the Titanic, the Gators program has suffered irreparable harm, with the worst yet to come. That means losing some key players. This his been a horrible September, with the worst part being the difficulty of not seeing a path forward. Sorry if this feels like piling on, but some of us have been piled upon ourselves. As I departed a friend’s birthday party in Gainesville the Sunday night after the humiliating loss to Miami, a forlorn Gator fan with whom I had been talking grabbed me by the arm and pleaded, “Can’t you at least offer me some hope?” “I would really like to,” I replied ... 'but I can’t.“ A week later we found a smidgen with DJ Lagway. Then poof! It was gone and here we are with an even a worse scenario. “Just one more thing,” said my Gator pal Randy. “Maybe just a little bit of hope?” Not today. I would hate myself for feeling like a hypocrite, which I already do a little. But maybe call me tomorrow.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: For the moment, at least, Billy Napier remains the head football coach at the University of Florida. A meeting of the University Athletic Association Board of Trustees was called for Sunday morning, but as of Sunday night there are no definitive conclusions.   There are reports confirmed through other sources that prominent boosters have cobbled together the money it would take to buy out the remainder of Napier’s contract (estimated $26 million), but it is more than just Napier’s buyout at issue. Each of Napier’s 10 assistant coaches plus strength and conditioning coordinator have two-year contracts. Additionally there are numerous analysts and staffers with contracts that have to be evaluated.   By the time all the contracts are evaluated and buyouts totaled, the amount of cash the boosters will have to come up with could be substantially more than what Napier is owed. One conservative estimate says it will take a minimum of $40 million to buy out Napier, his assistants and prominent staffers.   That is just for starters.   If and when Napier is fired, the search for a new head coach will begin. It’s likely a search firm will be contracted that affords both the University of Florida and any prospective coach a measure of plausible deniability. And once the number of prospects is narrowed down, decisions will be made regarding which one is the best fit both financially and culturally.   Depending on the coach, his buyout and the buyouts required for new assistant coaches plus moving expenses, etc., it might take $50 million or more to hire someone new. It seems obvious based on the hires this century of Ron Zook, Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain, Dan Mullen and Napier that it would be in Florida’s best interests to after an established coach who has won in a power conference or else the National Football League. That factor alone could jack up the price of a new hire.   For now, though, Napier is still the head coach. The early line from Las Vegas on Saturday’s game with Mississippi State (12 noon, ESPN) is Florida established as a 4.5-point favorite.   Following Mississippi State, the Gators have an open date. If change is truly in the works DURING the season, this might prove to be the ideal time to make it since the Gators would have adequate time to get accustomed to whoever is selected as the interim. There were unsubstantiated reports Saturday night that if there is an interim it will be analyst Dan Enos, a former head coach at Central Michigan who has been a coordinator and QB coach in the SEC (Alabama and Arkansas) and Big Ten (Michigan State and Maryland.   Associated Press top 25: 1. Texas 3-0; 2. Georgia 3-0; 3. Ohio State 2-0; 4. Alabama 3-0; 5. Ole Miss 3-0; 6. Tennessee 3-0; 7. Missouri 3-0; 8. Miami 3-0; 9. Oregon 3-0; 10. Penn State 2-0; 11. Southern California 2-0; 12. Utah 3-0; 13. Kansas State 3-0; 14. Oklahoma State 3-0; 15. Oklahoma 3-0; 16. LSU 2-1; 17. Notre Dame 2-1; 18. Michigan 2-1; 19. Louisville 2-0; 20. Iowa State 2-0; 21. Clemson 1-1; 22. Nebraska 3-0; 23. Northern Illinois 2-0; 24. Illinois 3-0; 25. Texas A&M 2-1   Coaches top 25: 1. Georgia 3-0; 2. Texas 3-0; 3. Ohio State 2-0; 4. Alabama 3-0; 5. Ole Miss 3-0; 6. Oregon 3-0; 7. Tennessee 3-0; 8. (Tie) Missouri 3-0 and Penn State 2-0; 10. Utah 3-0; 11. Miami 3-0; 12. Southern California 2-0; 13. Oklahoma 3-0; 14. Kansas State 3-0; 15. Oklahoma State 3-0; 16. LSU 2-1; 18. Michigan 2-1; 18. Notre Dame 2-1; 19. Clemson 1-1; 20. Louisville 2-0; 21. Iowa State 2-0; 22. Nebraska 3-0; 23. Memphis 3-0; 24. Texas A&M 2-1; 25. UNLV 3-0   SEC FOOTBALL No. 4 Alabama (3-0): In the Tide’s 42-10 win over Wisconsin in Madison, QB Jalen Milroe threw for threw for 196 yards and three TDs while running for 75 and two more. It was the third straight game that Milroe has had at least two passing and two rushing touchdowns. Next Saturday: Open   Arkansas (2-1): Arkansas rallied back from a 17-3 deficit to take out UAB, 37-27, behind a running game that netted 266 yards. Ja’Quinden Jackson ran for 147 yards and a TD and quarterback Taylen Green ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Next Saturday: at Auburn (2-1)   Auburn (2-1): Hugh Freeze benched Payton Thorne, turning the offense over to Hank Brown, who responded by throwing for 235 yards and four TDs without an interception in the win over New Mexico. Next Saturday: Arkansas (2-1)   No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC): Georgia drove 68 yards for a fourth quarter touchdown to eke past Kentucky, 13-12. The win was Georgia’s 28th straight SEC win, a new conference record. The Bulldogs held Kentucky to 262 total yards and four field goals. Next Saturday: Open   Kentucky (1-2, 0-2 SEC): The Wildcats rank 129th nationally in total offense, averaging just 261.3 yards per game. Kentucky’s offense has produced four touchdowns and seven field goals in three games. Kentucky’s defense is giving up only 215 yards per game, which ranks 9th nationally. Next Saturday: Ohio (2-1)   No. 16 LSU (2-1, 1-0 SEC): The Tigers rallied from a 17-0 deficit to take a 36-33 win over South Carolina. South Carolina missed a 49-yard field goal as time ran out, giving the Tigers the victory. Next Saturday: UCLA (1-1)   Mississippi State (1-2): A bad day was had by all in the Bulldogs’ 41-17 loss to Toledo. The O-line gave up give sacks while the secondary was torched by Toledo’s Tucker Gleason, who threw for 285 yards and three TDPs. Next Saturday: FLORIDA (1-2, 0-1 SEC)   No. 7 Missouri (3-0): Appalachian State transfer Nate Noel ran for 121 yards and wide receiver Luther Burden III caught six passes for 117 yards and a TD in the Tigers’ 27-21 win over Boston College … Mizzou was flagged for eight penalties (-81 yards). They’ve been penalized 25 times in three games. Next Saturday: Vanderbilt (2-1)   No. 15 Oklahoma (3-0): The offense has been erratic, but the Oklahoma defense has been solid through three games, giving up 11.3 points and just 264.7 yards per game. The Sooners are tied for sixth nationally with 11 sacks. Next Saturday: at No. 6 Tennessee (3-0)   No. 5 Ole Miss (3-0): Ole Miss is averaging 692 yards per game, tops in the country, while giving up just 253.7, 22nd nationally. The Rebels are tied for the top spot nationally … Quarterback Jaxson Dart is leading the nation in passing, hitting 73-88 passes for 1,172 yards (13.3 per attempt) and eight touchdowns. Next Saturday: Georgia Southern (2-1)   South Carolina (2-1, 1-1 SEC): Athletic director Ray Tanner and HBC Shane Beamer had conversations with the SEC about the officiating both Saturday evening and Sunday after the Gamecocks were flagged 13 times for 123 yards in penalties in their loss to LSU … Raheim Sanders ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns and QB LaNorris Sellers ran for 88 yards and two TDs. Next Saturday: Akron (1-2)   No. 6. Tennessee (3-0): Against a rather weak schedule, the Vols are No. 2 in the nation in total offense (639.3 yards per game) and total defense (160.7 per game). Tennessee is outscoring opponents, 63.7-4.3.  Next Saturday: at No. 15 Oklahoma (3-0)   No. 1 Texas (3-0): Quarterback Quinn Ewers is listed week-to-week after both an oblique and abdominal strain against UT-San Antonio. At the time of the injury, Ewers was 14-16 passing for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Arch Manning stepped in when Ewers went down, hitting 9-12 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns while running for 53 yards and another TD. Next Saturday: Louisiana-Monroe (2-0)   No. 25 Texas A&M (2-1, 1-0 SEC): A potential quarterback controversy is brewing for the Aggies after redshirt freshman Marcel Reed directly the Aggie offense flawlessly in a win over Florida while Conner Weigman sat out the game with an injury to the AC joint in his shoulder. Against the Gators, Reed completed 11-17 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns while running for 83 yards and a TD on 13 carries. Weigman has had to miss games due to injury in each of his three seasons at Texas A&M. There is no timetable set for his return to active duty. Next Saturday: Bowling Green (1-1)   Vanderbilt (2-1): The Commodores hopes for a 3-0 start to the season came crashing down when they gave up a 7-play, 79-yard scoring drive to Georgia State in the final 74 seconds. That offset a furious fourth quarter rally that saw Vandy score 22 points in the fourth quarter to take a 32-29 lead with 1:14 to go. Next Saturday: at No. 7 Missouri (3-0)   AROUND THE STATE Florida Atlantic (1-2, 0-1 American): Zuberi Mobley ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns as the Owls got their first win of the season over FIU, 38-20. Next Saturday: at UConn (1-2)   Florida International (1-2): The Golden Panthers threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles in their loss to Florida Atlantic. Next Saturday: Monmouth (1-2)   Florida State (0-3, 0-2 ACC): The Seminoles woes begin with the offensive line. FSU has run for 156 yards in three games, averaging a pathetic 2.2 yards per carry. Against Memphis, the Seminoles gave up four sacks for -33 yards. Next Saturday: California (3-0)   No. 8 Miami (3-0): Cam Ward is firmly one of the early leaders for the Heisman Trophy with 1,035 passing yards (11.6 per attempt) and 11 TDPs … The Hurricanes are tied for second nationally in sacks with 12. Next Saturday: at South Florida (2-1)   South Florida (2-1): In the Bulls 49-24 win over Southern Miss, quarterback Byrum Brown threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns while running for 72 yards and one more TD. Next Saturday: No. 8 Miami (3-0)   ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Changing coaches is never pleasant whether it’s the coach leaving on his own volition or because he’s been told his job has been terminated. We tend to forget that it’s more than a head coach. They have assistant coaches who will have to find new jobs, families, ties to the community and relationships with recruits who may or may not elect to seek a scholarship elsewhere.   I like Billy Napier. I think he is a fine man and unlike a lot of coaches I have dealt with since I wrote about my first college football game 57 years ago, I believe he seriously cares about each of his players. If I had a son who was good enough to play football in the Southeastern Conference and Billy Napier came to my home for an official visit, I would be impressed with the kind of man who would be guiding my son.     That being said, I think there are times when people conclude that things aren’t working out for a variety of reasons. That’s when hard decisions have to be made to stay on the same track and hope things work out or make the necessary changes to plot a new course.   I’m of the opinion that it’s time to plot a new course at Florida. I’m also of the opinion that Billy Napier will resurface somewhere as a head coach, this time in a situation that is more amenable to the things he does well. He didn’t win 40 games in four years at Louisiana by accident, but what he did there and what he has done here isn’t working out. Coaches are hired to win and the Gators aren’t winning under Napier, so adjustments will have to be made if Napier is to find success again.   He's a very good man who should be treated with respect and should not be held in contempt by Florida fans. If and when he is dismissed, give him the dignity of a thank you for giving the University of Florida his best and well wishes for the future.

UF allows 488 yards rushing in what could be the final blow for Billy Napier. Is the end near? By Loren Meadows, GatorBaitMedia.com , Football Analyst Must win? At this point it most certainly seems like it was and Florida failed the exam miserably. All week, the news centered around the quarterback conundrum facing Napier and very little talk about the many issues that have caused this team to look listless and overmatched two out of the last three weeks. Texas A&M would be without starting quarterback Connor Weigman and go with redshirt freshman Marcel Reed. It was expected Weigman would find a hard day in one of college football’s most hostile environments. Also the Gators had improved defensively against Samford and looked to be settling in for a run of success with a string of winnable football games beginning with a visit from the Aggies.   What We Thought: Texas A&M was surrendering almost 190 yards per game on the ground in the first two games and despite having one of the SEC’s best groups on paper Texas A&M had underperformed thus far. The Gators would utilize an abbreviated two-quarterback system where Graham Mertz would return from injury and allow the Gators to return to offensive consistency. And true freshman DJ Lagway would spot play and give Texas A&M different looks with his ability to improvise with his legs and make off schedule throws through the air. On defense, the Gators would need to force Weigman into a couple interceptions on obvious passing downs and they would need to stifle the Texas A&M run game in order to make Weigman beat them with his arm. Weigman had been decent at best through the first two games and the Gators were poised to make life difficult in The Swamp   What We Got: Maybe we should stay away from previews and predictions. If not, maybe those that read them for knowledge of the upcoming contest should hold their breath. For two of the last three weeks what many have expected has been nothing close to that. The Gators surrendered 310 yards rushing to seven different rushers including 110 yards by Le’Veon Moss. By the way, did we mention starting quarterback Connor Weigman didn’t play? Redshirt freshman Marcel Reed looked like a seasoned vet in The Swamp and doubled down on Miami’s Cam Ward in observing that the Gators home crowd and facility is not that tough a place to play as many would believe. Reed was 11 of 17 for 178 yards and two touchdowns and added another 83 yards on the ground with a touchdown. He was never sacked and on an early passing down evaded an unblocked defender for a 31-yard scamper which signaled the rout was on. Despite all the talk of DJ Lagway returning the Gators to the promise land the freshman quarterback looked uncomfortable and unsure on his way a 15.2 passer rating with two interceptions and touchdown completing 6 of 13 passes. Mertz returned with a better performance, going 12 of 15 for 195 yards with a touchdown. He did throw a pick-six to safety Bryce Anderson which proved to be the death knell for the Gators. As an aside, the Gators managed only 52 yards rushing to a team that surrendered 378 yards total in the first two contests.  Graham Mertz and Montrell Johnson Jr. (Chris Spears photo)   The Skinny: The end is near. The Florida Gators have consistently underperformed on so many occasions that that has become the expectation when this Napier led football team takes the field. For three years there has been talk of improved character, increased strength gains and athleticism. Yet when the product is presented to the masses, it has rarely represented a well-coached, prepared football team, let alone one that can compete consistently in the SEC. One could sit and rehash all that occurred Saturday but as many women have explained to us men as we try to talk our way out of a situation it sounds like a broken record. The question is, was it ever really fixed? Bill Napier arrived talking about excellence in recruiting (it has been average), NIL (awful with a lawsuit in play), exciting offense (where?) and a football team Gators can be proud of (says who?). This has not been good, and with the buzzards circling, the thing that may be the most unsettling is Napier will have presided over one the worst tenures in Florida football history and Gator fans never knew him. A coach that was supposed to be charismatic, inviting, an ace recruiter, and all around great guy, has been at times aloof, distant and in my opinion has done very little to endure himself to the fan base and the Gator community. It is too early to truly know where the Gators go from here but there are rumors that Napier will not survive the day or that he will coach the remainder of the season as even though the program has a one hundred people in a Jordan shirt in the program, there is no one to take the team in the interim. Either way it is over, and while one may look to who took the first snaps at quarterback Saturday as Napier’s most perilous decision, 488 yards of offense to Marcel Reed and company say there are way bigger problems than the ones named Mertz and Lagway. Napier will most likely lead a 100 or so people out of Gainesville with him shortly.  Which is sad because there have been some things off of the field put in place that represent the university and program extremely well. Unfortunately Napier is in the business of football and the football, the Saturdays of this thing, have not been good. I wish Coach the best for the remainder of his time here, and beyond. I guess I wish we would have gotten to know him at all.  Final Score: Florida Gators 20 Texas A&M Aggies 33 (Prediction Florida 20 Texas A&M 24)

62 years ago, Coach Ellenson inspired UF past the Aggies Florida vs. Texas A&M. In all the years these two teams have been playing football, they’ve only met six times, four since the Aggies joined the Southeastern Conference in 2012. Both teams come into Saturday’s game (3:30 p.m., ABC) with 1-1 records, both disappointing week one losers followed by crushing wins over D1AA teams last week.   Most in the national media consider this a make-or-break game for the Gators who play the nation’s most difficult schedule. Win Saturday and the Gators would be favored to win the next two – at Mississippi State, home against UCF. A 4-1 record would certainly lend itself to optimism when the Gators travel to Knoxville to face a Tennessee team that is already being discussed as both an SEC and playoff contender.   A loss to the Aggies would ratchet up the pressure on Florida head coach Billy Napier and send a serious case of doom and gloom through a fan base still feeling the pain from a 41-17 thrashing at the hands of 10th-ranked Miami in game one. Beating the Aggies wouldn’t put an end to the pressure on Napier but it would at least provide a reprieve if even for one week.   There is no such pressure on Texas A&M coach Mike Elko. He’s still in his first year on the job honeymoon period as the replacement to Jimbo Fisher, who has $75 million worth of memories from his time on the job in College Station. Jimbo never met the expectations of Aggie boosters, who thought they could simply buy a national championship contender when they hired him after a ultra-successful run at Florida State. Aggie fans won’t be happy with a loss to the Gators, but they’ll give Elko a mulligan since it’s his first season and he has them convinced they can win the national championships Jimbo promised.   Billy Napier needs this game badly. His situation isn’t all that dissimilar to the one Ray Graves faced in 1962 when the Gators were set to play host to the Aggies on October 13. After a beatdown by 8th-ranked Georgia Tech in week two followed by a heartbreaking 28-21 loss to Duke in Jacksonville in which the Gators blew a 21-0 halftime lead, Graves was feeling the heat. The good will of a 9-2 first season wore off in 1961 when the Gators went 4-5-1, tying FSU 3-3 and losing to Miami 15-6.   Fans and media alike were on the Gators’ case and it seemed the team was on the verge of collapse when defensive coordinator and assistant head coach Gene Ellenson wrote a letter to the team on Thursday prior to the game with the Aggies. Ellenson won both a bronze and silver star for his heroics at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. He wrote the letter hoping to lift the Gators from the depths of depression.   It went like this:   “Dear _____ : “It’s late at night. The offices are all quiet and everyone has finally gone home. Once again my thoughts turn to you all.   “The reason I feel I have something to say to you is because what you need now more than anything else are a little guidance and maybe a little starch for your backbone. You are still youngsters and unknowingly, you have not steeled yourselves for the demanding task of 60 full minutes of exertion required to master a determined opponent. This sort of exertion takes two kinds of hardness. Physical, which is why you are pushed hard in practice, and mental, which comes only from having to meet adversity and whipping it.   “Now all of us have adversity – different kinds maybe – but adversity. Just how we meet these troubles determines how solid a foundation we are building our life on; and just how many of you stand together to face our team adversity will determine how solid a foundation our team has built for the rest of the season.   “No one cruises along without problems. It isn’t easy to earn your way through college on football scholarship. It isn’t easy to do what is expected of you by the academic and the athletic. It isn’t easy to remain fighting when others are curling around you or when your opponent seems to be getting stronger while you seem to be getting weaker. It isn’t easy to continue good work when others don’t appreciate what you’re doing. It isn’t easy to go hard when bedeviled by aches, pains and muscle sprains. It isn’t easy to rise up when you are down. The pure facts of life are that nothing is easy. You only get what you earn and there isn’t such a thing as “something for nothing.” When you truly realize this – then and only then will you begin to whip your adversities.   “If you’ll bear with a little story, I’ll try to prove my point. On midnight, January 14, l945, six pitiful American soldiers were hanging onto a small piece of high ground in a forest somewhere near Bastogne, Belgium. This high ground had been the objective of an attack launched by 1,000 men that morning. Only these six made it. The others had been turned back, wounded, lost or killed in action. These grimy, cruddy six men were all that were left of a magnificent thrust of 1,000 men. They hadn’t had any sleep other than catnaps for over 72 hours. The weather was cold enough to freeze the water in their canteens. They had no entrenching tools, no radio, no food – only ammunition and adversity. Twice a good-sized counter attack had been launched by the enemy, only to be beaten back because of the dark and some pretty fair grenade heaving.   “The rest of the time there were incessant mortars falling in the general area and the trees made for dreaded tree bursts, which scatter shrapnel like buckshot. The attackers were beginning to sense the location of the six defenders. Then things began to happen. First, a sergeant had a chunk of shrapnel tear into his hip. Then a corporal went into shock and started sobbing.   “After more than six hours of the constant mortar barrage and two close counter attacks, and no food since maybe the day before yesterday, this was some first-class adversity. Then another counter attack, this one making it to the small position. Hand-to-hand fighting is a routine military expression. I have not the imagination to tell you what this is really like. A man standing up to fight with a shattered hip bone, saliva frothing at his mouth, gouging, lashing with a bayonet, even strangling with his bare hands. The lonesome five fought (the corporal was out of his mind) until the attackers quit.   “Then the mortars began again. All this time the route to the rear lay open, but never did this little group take the road back. As early dawn a full company of airborne troopers relieved this tiny force. It still wasn’t quite light yet. One of the group, a lieutenant, picked up the sergeant with the broken hip and carried him like a baby. The other led the incoherent corporal like a dog on a leash. The other two of the gallant six lay dead in the snow. It took hours for this strange little group to get back to where they had started from 24 hours earlier. They were like ghosts returning. The lieutenant and one remaining healthy sergeant, after 10 hours of sleep and a hot meal, were sent on a mission 12 miles behind the German lines and helped make the link that closed the Bulge.   “Today, two of the faithful six lay in Belgium graves, one is a career army man, and one is a permanent resident of the army hospital for the insane in Texas, one is a stiff-legged repairman in Ohio, and one is an assistant football coach at the University of Florida.   “This story is no documentary or self-indulgence. It was told to you only to show you that whatever you find adverse now, others before you have had as bad or worse and still hung on to do the job. Many of you are made of exactly the same stuff as the six men in the story, yet you haven’t pooled your collective guts to present a united fight for a full 60 minutes. Your egos are a little shook – so what? Nothing good can come from moping about it. Cheer up and stand up. Fight an honest fight, square off in front of your particular adversity and whip it. You’ll be a better man for it, and the next adversity won’t be so tough. Breaking training now is complete failure to meet your problems. Quitting the first time is the hardest – it gets easier the second time and so forth.   “I’d like to see a glint in your eye Saturday about 2 p.m. with some real depth to it – not just a little lip service- not just a couple of weak hurrahs and down the drain again, but some real steel – some real backbone and 60 full fighting minutes. Then and only then will you be on the road to becoming a real man. The kind you like to see when you shave every morning.   “As in most letters, I’d like to close by wishing you well and leave you with this one thought. “Self-pity is a roommate with cowardice.” Stay away from feeling sorry for yourself. The wins and losses aren’t nearly as important as what kind of man you become. I hope I’ve given you something to think about – and remember, somebody up there still loves you.   Sincerely, Gene Ellenson”   The letter was read to the team on Friday night. On Saturday, before a crowd of 33,000 at Florida Field, the Gators were inspired. The offense put the ball in the end zone. The defense strangled the Aggies. When the final whistle blew, it was a 42-6 rout, and not just any win, but one that turned the season around. The Gators finished 6-4 in the regular season and were invited to face 9th-ranked Penn State in the Gator Bowl. Florida won that one, 17-7, but the turnaround could be tied to Coach Ellenson’s letter.   The 2024 Gators need some inspiration. Their season could go south in a hurry if the Aggies come away with a win Saturday. Something, somehow needs to lift them up so they play with a passion and a presence unseen against Miami. This is a tough Aggie football team, one that began the season ranked in the top 25. The Aggies like to think their week one loss to Notre Dame was an aberration.   The Gators need to show Texas A&M that the loss to Notre Dame was no aberration and in doing so, show a restless fan base that better times are on the horizon.

Must win for Florida? While quarterback is the story there are bigger issues with the Gators. By Loren Meadows, GatorBaitMedia.com , Football Analyst Texas A&M Offense Key Players-#15 QB Conner Weigman (6-2 ,220, So.), #8 RB Le’Veon Moss (6-0, 215, Jr.), #5 RB Amari Daniels (5-9, 215, Jr.) #6 WR Cyrus Allen (6-0, 178 Jr.), #3 WR Noah Thomas (6-6, 200, Jr.) #9 WR Jahdae Walker (6-4, 205, Sr.), #7 Moose Muhammed III (6-1, 195, Gr.) #84 TE Tre Watson (6-5, 250, Sr.)   Matchups To Watch: Florida Front Seven v. Texas A&M Offensive Line, Jason Marshall Jr. vs. Noah Thomas   The first two weeks of the season Texas A&M has been nit so great on offense. They are currently 74thnationally in Total Offense averaging 388 yards per game. The offense goes as Connor Weigman goes and he has the ability to affect the game with his arm as well as his feet.  After an awful game in the home opener against Notre Dame where he was just 12 of 30 with two interceptions Weigman rebounded with a more efficient performance last week against McNeese completing 11 of 14 passes for a pedestrian 125 yards with two touchdowns. The Aggies have leaned hard on the running game in their first two contest and utilize the two headed monster of Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels to carry the load. Moss has been the bell cow for the first two games carrying the ball 29 times compared to 17 carries for Daniels. Both backs found the end zone twice last week against McNeese and Moss also scored the Aggies lone touchdown against Notre Dame. Weigman can also be effective in the running game and is averaging 5.9 yards per carry in the first two games. The Aggie receivers are an experience bunch and features transfer additions that have made an immediate impact. Cyrus Allen leads the team in receptions after amassing over 1200 yards on 68 catches at Louisiana Tech. Tight End Tre Watson was 2023 Mountain West Honorable Mention and has started both games this season. Receivers Noah Thomas, Moose Muhammed III, and Jahdae Walker all have experience and playmaking ability. Muhammed is the veteran of the group with 77 career catches, while Walker has transformed himself from a Division II player at Grand Valley State to a more than serviceable option for the Gators.  Runninng Back Montrell Johnson Jr. (Chris Spears photo)   Florida was better on defense against Samford. Texas A&M is not Samford. The Aggies are not Miami either. They are a physical bunch that is big up front and have three returning starters that are part of 6-7 man rotation. The Aggies rushed for 333 yards against McNeese which means they will look to establish their dominance at the line of scrimmage and make things easy in the passing game for Weigman. At 6-6 and 6-5, both Noah Thomas and Tre Watson can present issues for the Florida defensive backs who have struggled with bigger receivers in the past. The key is stopping the run. Notre Dame forced Weigman to beat them with his arm and he was not up to the task. The Gators must create turnovers to have a chance at home.    Texas A&M Defense Key Players-#21 LB Taurean York (6-0, 235, So.), #5 DT Shemar Turner (6-4, 300, Sr.) #11 DE Nic Scourton (6-4, 285, Jr.), #0 LB Scooby Williams (6-2, 230 Jr.), #1 S Bryce Anderson (6-0, 192, Jr.), #26 CB Will Lee III (6-3, 190, Jr.), #7 CB Tyreek Chappell (5-11, 185, Sr.), #8 DB Jaydon Hill (6-0, 200, Gr.)   Matchups to Watch: Florida Offensive Line v. Texas A&M Defensive Line, Eugene Wilson v. Jaydon Hill   The Aggie defensive line is stout and features at least two future pros in Turner in Scourton.  Turner flirted with the NFL after being named All-SEC Second Team in 2023. Scourton a Bryan, Texas native and Purdue transfer led the Big Ten is sacks last season. The Aggies are at least seven deep up front and have one of the most talented defensive lines in the SEC. At Linebacker the Aggies have tackling machine Taurean York and the familiar Scooby Williams in the middle. York was a freshman All-American in 2023 recording 74 tackles and leads the team with 13 this season. Former Florida linebacker Williams, followed linebacker coach now defensive coordinator Jay Bateman to College Station after recording 70 tackles for the Gators. The secondary has experience with two transfers to steady the group. Safety Bryce Anderson is versatile and has made 13 starts in his short career. Tyreek Chappell is a four-starter who has 109 tackles and two career interceptions. Transfers Will Lee III (Kansas State) and Jaydon Hill (Florida) have made early impacts with Lee second on the team in tackles and Hill adding depth and experience at the nickelback position.    Florida will be tasked with having a better day against a better defensive line than the one it faced against Miami. Turner is a man in the middle and Scourton will look to take it to tackles Austin Barber and Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson. The Gators have to find some form of a running game early and allow the Florida play-action game to be a factor. Texas A&M currently ranks 110th nationally against the run so despite the level of talent they have underperformed this season. The Aggies are ranked 23rd against the pass so the secondary has been solid. A matchup in the slot between former teammates Wilson and Hill could be must see TV on passing downs. Billy Napier and company will have to be patient and lean on the running game a little longer than they did two weeks ago because the Aggies can feast on a one dimensional offense. Could an extra number in the run game prove to be the key to Florida running the ball? Eugene Wilson III off to the races (Chis Spears photo)   The Skinny: Two questions have made the rounds this week. Who should start at quarterback and is this a must win for Coach Billy Napier? The first is a game time decision. The second a resounding yes. Must win not because Billy Napier is in jeopardy of Franz Beard’s endangered species list but because there needs to be some type of evidence that this thing is headed in the right direction. Florida has far bigger issues than quarterback and one has to look no further than the Gators ranking in the 112 and 105 in passing defense and passing efficiency defense respectively.  They also have managed just two takeaways in two weeks which has to improve in order to get the win. If Florida starts Graham Mertz at quarterback and struggles to run the ball, inserting DJ Lagway could open run lanes and force the defense to account for him as a runner. Connor Weigman will throw it to the other team, you just have to catch it. It seems the Aggie defense will let you lean on them a bit too. The Gators just have to be patient. Florida will play better, but despite who plays the most snaps at QB, the talk will turn to the man at the head of the program as the Gators prepare for their first road trip after another home loss.    Prediction: Florida 20 Texas A&M 24

What I didn’t expect to see this quickly was the quantum leap he made in his unexpected emergency start vs Samford.

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.

DJ Lagway (2) will factor heavily in Florida's plans moving forward (Photo by Chris Spears) A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: If there is going to be a quarterback controversy for the Florida Gators it will have to come somewhere down the road. For now and perhaps in the future there is none. Billy Napier has a senior quarterback who he trusts implicitly in Graham Mertz and a freshman phenom who might very well prove to be the best he’s ever coached in DJ Lagway. Napier has a plan to use both of them but he's not giving any hints how he will make it work out.   Mertz had a fine season a year ago, came back for one more year and endured his worst game as a Gator in the season opener against Miami before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a concussion. Lagway had a few impressive snaps in relief of Mertz against Miami, got the start against Samford last Saturday and lit up the overmatched visitors from Birmingham.   After watching Lagway make the kind of throws normally reserved for quarterbacks in the No Fun League fans think he should get the start Saturday when the Gators (1-1) play host to Texas A&M (1-1) in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams (3:30 p.m., ABC). Unless Mertz doesn’t pass the final test of his concussion protocol this week, he’s almost certain to be the starter against the Aggies, but Lagway is going to play.   Just how much is to be determined. Napier may have a pre-determined number of plays or series he intends to give Lagway or it may be completely dictated by circumstances in the game. Either way, the plan is for Lagway to be in the game with a chance to be a difference-maker.   “I don’t want to put the playbook on the streets here but ultimately the guy is one of our better players,” Napier said. “We’re going to give him an opportunity to impact the game and contribute to the team.”   It is difficult to imagine the Aggies throwing something at Mertz that he hasn’t seen before. After 44 collegiate starts, Mertz is unlikely to get rattled or confused. He knows how to check into the right plays and move the ball down the field. When Lagway comes into the game, it will require a complete adjustment by the A&M defense because not only can Lagway make throws that most quarterbacks college or pro only dream of, but he has serious running skills.   If the two of them can complement each other, Florida’s chances of winning (Gators are 4-point underdogs) are improved, and winning has everything to do with why Napier plans to use both his QBs.     “We're going to do what's in the best interest of the team,” Napier said. “I think both these players can make our team better. I think that's what we intended to do. The great thing is there is a great relationship there, confidence, humility from both guys, and a healthy respect from the team and staff for both players.”   If everybody is on the same page and egos are parked at the door, there will be no quarterback controversy. Right now, the only thing on the mind of the head coach, both quarterbacks and the rest of the team is starting out the SEC portion of the schedule 1-0.    SEC FOOTBALL No. 4 Alabama (2-0): Against South Florida, the Alabama offensive line was flagged for four holding penalties, two false starts and an illegal block in the back. O-line penalties cost Alabama two touchdowns and 70 yards total … Tackle Tim Keenan III was selected SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week after nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks against South Florida. Saturday’s game: The Crimson Tide are a 16-point favorite at Wisconsin.   Arkansas (1-1): Corner Marquise Robinson and safety Hudson Clark are both listed as questionable for this week’s game. Robinson is dealing with a stinger while Clark has a sore back. Saturday’s game: The Razorbacks are 24.5-point favorites to beat UAB in Fayetteville.   Auburn (1-1): At his Monday press conference, HBC Hugh Freeze said the Tigers “aren’t talented enough yet to play badly and win – and I know everybody doesn’t want to hear that.” … Both wide receiver Cam Coleman and right tackle Izavian Miller are questionable for Saturday’s game with New Mexico. Saturday’s game: The Tigers are 28-point favorites at home against New Mexico.   No. 1 Georgia (2-0): Tight end Oscar Delp’s sprained ankle is not considered serious. D-lineman Mykel Williams could miss the game with Kentucky Saturday. “He’s got to be able to practice,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. Also likely out for Kentucky are running back Roderick Robinson, defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod and defensive lineman Jordan Hall. Saturday’s game: The Bulldogs are 24-point road favorites over Kentucky in Lexington.   Kentucky (1-1, 0-1 SEC): The Wildcats committed 11 penalties for 63 yards in their loss to South Carolina. Monday, HBC Mark Stoops said, “You can’t have penalty after penalty after penalty. That part of it, the execution and the undisciplined play was embarrassing. The penalties and things of that nature, you just can’t do it.” Saturday’s game: The Wildcats are 24-point underdogs against Georgia in Lexington.   No. 16 LSU (1-1): Senior defensive tackle Jacobian Gillory will miss the rest of the season after suffering an Achilles injury in the win over Nicholls State … HBC Brian Kelly thinks quarterback Garrett Nussmeier could throw for 50 touchdowns this season. He threw for six against Nicholls Saturday and has eight in two games. Saturday’s game: LSU is a 7-point favorite on the road at South Carolina.   Mississippi State (1-1): Monday, HBC Jeff Lebby lamented all the missed tackles which helped Arizona State run for 346 yards. “It’s one story. It’s tackling. Twenty-five missed tackles, over 250 yards after contact. I think that’s the frustrating part for our guys that when they watched the tape, there were plenty of times where we were in position and we got to get the guy on the ground.” Saturday’s game: Mississippi State is an 11.5-point favorite at home against Toledo.   No. 6 Missouri (2-0): Missouri is the first team since Wisconsin in 2019 to start the season with consecutive shutouts. Missouri opened with a 51-0 win over Murray State and followed that up with a 38-0 win over Buffalo. The Tigers lead the nation in total defense, allowing only 127 yards per game. Saturday’s game: Missouri is 16.5-point favorites at home against Boston College.   No. 15 Oklahoma (2-0): Following Oklahoma’s 16-12 win over Houston, HBC Brent Venables said, “We deserved to lose.” … Tackle Gracen Hatten was selected SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week after a tackle for a safety and a sack for an 11-yard loss. Saturday’s game: Oklahoma is a 14-point home favorite against Tulane.   No. 5 Ole Miss (2-0): After two blowout wins over overmatched teams, HBC Lane Kiffin said Wake Forest is a better team than either of the two teams the Rebels have faced so far. Kiffin said, “I think this is a good measuring stick for where we’re at.” Saturday’s game: Ole Miss is a 23-point favorite at Wake Forest. South Carolina (2-0, 1-0 SEC): Safety Nick Emmanwori was selected SEC Defensive Player of the Week and placekicker Kai Kroger was selected SEC Special Teams Player of the Week. Emmanori had seven tackles and an interception that he ran back for a touchdown in the Gamecocks 31-6 win over Kentucky. Kroeger launched five punts of 50 or more yards and had two downed inside the 20. Saturday’s game: The Gamecocks are 7-point underdogs at home to LSU.   No. 7 Tennessee (2-0): On the Matt Barrie Show, Paul Finebaum said, “Tennessee was always a dark horse and now I think they’re moving into they’re on the playoff line.” … Center Cooper Mays was selected SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week and quarterback Nico Iamaleava was selected SEC Freshman of the Week. Mays has gone 16 consecutive games without allowing a sack. Iamaleava threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns and he ran for a 31-yard touchdown, finishing with 65 rushing yards. Saturday’s game: The Vols are 49-point favorites at home against Kent State.   No. 2 Texas (2-0): HBC Steve Sarkisian is warning his team to avoid overconfidence, citing Northern Illinois beating No. 5 Notre Dame in South Bend as an example … Quarterback Quinn Ewers was selected SEC Offensive Player of the Week and center Jake Majors was selected SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week. Ewers completed 24-36 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns against Michigan. Majors didn’t allow a sack and helped Texas dominate Michigan in the running game. Saturday’s game: The Longhorns are 34.5-point favorites to beat UT-San Antonio in Austin.   Texas A&M (1-1): Defensive lineman Shemar Stewart, a junior from Miami, said he believes the Aggies will end their 10-game road losing streak Saturday at Florida. Stewart said Monday, “… I’m feeling pretty confident in Saturday and we go in there and come out with a W.” Saturday’s game: The Aggies are a 4-point favorite to beat Florida in Gainesville.   Vanderbilt (2-0): New Mexico State transfer quarterback, who has led Vandy to two straight wins to start the season, said after Vandy’s win over Virginia Tech,  “Some people from over there called me a poor man’s Trace McSorley. When you stop me, then you can talk.” Saturday’s game: The Commodores are 10.5 favorites over Georgia State in Atlanta.   ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Whose seats are starting to feel as if someone has lit a blowtorch beneath their butts? And who are likely to survive although barely? It’s another year. Time for the first edition of Countdown to Firing Day.   Extinct Species List None yet   On Life Support Stan Drayton, Temple: He is 0-2 and there are maybe six winnable games on the schedule. He needs to win all six to be gainfully employed next year at Temple.   Sonnie Cumbie, Louisiana Tech: He’s got a paycheck game at North Carolina State this week. He needs to win seven of the last nine in the worst way.   Joe Moorhead, Akron: He’s not a bad football coach, but he’s at Akron, which is one of college football’s ultimate dead end jobs.   Will Hall, Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles are 1-1 and Hall needs to get to six wins. If he doesn’t get there and isn’t fired it’s because they can’t afford to buy him out.   Mike Bloomgren, Rice: It seems he starts every season on life support, but then ekes out just enough wins that they won’t fire him. Don’t be shocked if it happens again.   Endangered Species List Billy Napier, Florida: He is unlikely to get fired because he has a future superstar in DJ Lagway that the Gators can’t afford to lose and interim president Kent Fuchs doesn’t really want to hand a new coach over to a new president likely named in the spring. But, if the Gators go in the tank, all bets are off.   Sam Pittman, Arkansas: This is a wait and see. We should know definitively by midseason. The offense looks very good with Bobby Petrino calling the plays. Can the Hogs outscore people because the defense doesn’t look promising?   Mike Houston, East Carolina: He’s won everywhere he’s ever coached except ECU where he’s 26-34. He has to get to seven wins or else he’s a goner.   Clay Helton, Georgia Southern: He has a schedule that can get him to seven wins. Any fewer and chances are he’ll get the pink slip.     Jim McElwain, Central Michigan: Two straight losing seasons and a blowout loss to Florida International have made the natives restless. There are at least seven losses on that schedule. He needs to pull a rabbit out the wazzoo. If he survives it’s because they can’t afford to fire him.

Was Miami that good or were the Gators that bad two weeks ago? (Photo by Chris Spears) Think back three weeks if you will, back to August 31 when the Florida Gators faced 19th-ranked Miami in the season opener at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. From the opening whistle until the very end, Miami dominated the game both offensively and defensively for a decisive 41-17 loss, the worst home opening loss for UF in school history. That game begs the question was Miami that good or were the Gators that bad?   Since routing the Gators, Miami has climbed to 10th nationally. Judging by the schedule, it might take a monumental upset for the Hurricanes to lose a regular season game. They’re only two games into the season, but they have the look of a complete team, plus they have a quarterback in Cam Ward who just might become Miami’s first Heisman winner since Gino Torreta in 1991, which was pretty much awarded for lifetime achievement. Make no mistake about it, however, Cam Ward can do things that Gino Torreta could do only in his dreams.   Based on two games, Miami looks like a lock to win the ACC, make the College Football Playoff and perhaps even win a couple of games. The Hurricanes give the appearance of a complete team whose only chance to be derailed in the regular season is a rash of injuries.   The Gators bounced back from the Miami debacle with a much-expected rout of an overmatched Samford team from the D1AA Southern Conference, not exactly the greatest of measuring sticks. So the jury is still out although the Samford win did offer rays of light that will grow much, much brighter if the Gators (1-1) are able to score a Southeastern Conference win over Texas A&M at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Saturday (3:30 p.m., ABC).   It is early in the season with plenty of football to be played, but Saturday’s game has a must win feel to it for both the Gators and the Aggies. Both teams began their season with disappointing losses and both rebounded with easy wins in paycheck games against teams from D1AA conferences. Because it’s an SEC game the winner will still have much to prove but will have leapt over a major hurdle. For the loser, the season won’t be over, but a very deep hole will have been dug which will have the fan base questioning the possibility of a winning season.   The oddsmakers have established the Aggies as a 4-point favorite even though they have lost 10 consecutive road games dating all the way back to the 2021 season. Obviously, the people in Las Vegas were more impressed with A&M’s loss to Notre Dame in its season opener than Florida’s loss to Miami even though Miami seems to be a much stronger and more capable team than Notre Dame.   On the same day the Gators were hosed by Miami, then 20th-ranked Texas A&M played host to then 7th-ranked Notre Dame in College Station. The crowd of 107,315 shoehorned into Kyle Field saw a game that could have cured insomnia. Notre Dame outgained the Aggies, 356-246, and walked away with a 23-13 win. Immediately, Notre Dame was elevated to the ranks of serious national championship contender because of an “elite” defense, which reflected in the next poll with a No. 5 ranking.   Then came Northern Illinois with an 8-inch hat pin to burst the Notre Dame bubble. The Huskies were in South Bend for a paycheck, but they walked away with a 16-14 win, not because Notre Dame took them lightly but because they exposed the Irish. That offense that struggled to move the ball against Texas A&M was even worse against Northern Illinois. The Irish gained only 288 yards and their offensive line could neither pass protect nor knock the Huskies off the ball in the run game.   On the other side of the ball, that Notre Dame defense that so easily locked down the Aggies was dominated. The Irish couldn’t stop the run and they couldn’t affect the passer. Northern Illinois pounded the ball between the tackles making that so-called elite Notre Dame defense look very, very average.     The game was in South Bend so there was no excuse for Notre Dame, whose loss calls into account the win over Texas A&M. Was this a case of a bad day at the office by Notre Dame or even worse by Texas A&M?   It is impossible to judge the Aggies based on their 52-10 bounce back win over McNeese State last Saturday night. The Aggies ran the ball for 333 yards and quarterback Conner Weigman, who was 12-30 passing for 100 yards against Notre Dame with zero TDs and two picks, looked very sharp. But, it was a home game against an overmatched opponent.   Florida had a similar turnaround against Samford. Although starting senior quarterback Graham Mertz missed the game on concussion protocol, the Gators didn’t miss a beat with freshman DJ Lagway at the controls. All Lagway did was set the Florida freshman record with 456 passing yards, more impressively completing nine passes that went for 20 or more yards, five that covered at least 40. A year ago in a 12-game schedule, the Gators managed only five plays in the passing game that went for at least 40 yards.   Florida’s defense, much maligned by Miami and Cam Ward, rebounded by holding Samford to a single TD and just 205 offensive yards. Again, it was a home game against an inferior opponent. Against Notre Dame did the A&M offensive line simply have a rotten day or are the Aggies not nearly as strong as hyped in the preseason?   As for the A&M defense, it has to get ready for a two-quarterback attack provided Mertz is cleared to play. Mertz will get the start, but Lagway is going to play. How much is unclear although Napier seemed to indicate Monday that his prize freshman will have a prominent role. Mertz is the savvy veteran with 44 career starts. He completed 72.9 percent of his passes a year ago while averaging more than eight yards per attempt, clear indicators that he can be very effective.   Lagway? He’s the wild card. No one expects him to have the kind of game against the Aggies that he had against Samford, but he showed off a power arm with laser-like accuracy and he’s much more mobile than Mertz.   Can two quarterbacks give the Gators an edge? Can the Gators move the football consistently and put it into the end zone against an A&M defense that is certainly better than the one they racked up 632 yards against last week? On the other side of the ball can the Gators stuff the A&M run and harass Weigman into a bad day throwing the ball the way Notre Dame did?   We hear so often that teams make the greatest progress working out the kinks between weeks one and two. If we go by scores alone, Florida had the most problems to correct after the week one loss, but once again, is that because Miami was that good or Florida was that bad? And how much progress did the Gators by their dominant win over Samford?   Nearly the same questions can be asked of the Aggies? Were they inept against Notre Dame or simply having a case of the first game blues? Were they able to resolve their issues last week then take them out on McNeese State?   Whatever the answers might be to these questions, either Texas A&M or Florida is going to win Saturday afternoon. The winner will get a much-needed injection of optimism that a good season is still attainable. The loser will be forced to endure the sharp knives of a fan base and media that will go full doom and gloom mode.   This game is critical both for Texas A&M and the Florida Gators. Both Napier and Texas A&M coach Mike Elko would agree to that, but both would tell you that every SEC game is critical and this one is no different.   But it is different. It’s different because when the final whistle blows Saturday we will finally have a realistic opinion of what to expect the rest of the way.