DJ Lagway throws five interceptions, dooming Florida Gators in embarrassing effort at No. 3 LSU

Football

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Image Credit: Trenton Bardi, UAA

The Florida Gators appeared to be on pace to lose Saturday night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as they have so many times before with undisciplined play and unimaginative offense. However, despite its team-wide struggles, it was the horrendous play of sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway that truly doomed the program in a 20-10 loss to the No. 3 LSU Tigers in Death Valley.

Lagway on Saturday night became the first Florida quarterback to throw five interceptions in a single game since Shane Matthews in 1992. The former five-star prospect did so while tossing a career-high 49 passes in a game that Florida dominated in yardage (366-166), first downs (23-10), total plays (76-52) and time of possession (37:46-22:14).

“I’ve never had a performance like that in my life, so it’s kind of hard to process,” said Lagway, who said he played “horrible football” in the game. “I’ll just keep my head down and gotta work hard to get back.”

One interception after another, the Gators took a game they could have won — defense and special teams largely played well despite some undisciplined coverage up the middle from the former unit — and flushed it down the toilet as LSU beat Florida for the sixth time in the last seven meetings.

While Lagway was primraily at fault for his interceptions — the majority of which were thrown on third down, often into double triple coverage — head coach Billy Napier and UF’s offensive line did not set him up for success.

Time and again, the Gators let defensive rushers through their front (three sacks) and got called for holding penalties (four), as they have throughout Napier’s four years leading the program despite his employment of two offensive line coaches. Time and again, Napier relied on ineffective screen passes — including after those holding penalties — that only exacerbated the difficult situations in which Lagway found himself.

Still, it is Lagway who stands primarily at fault given his five turnovers snuffed out as many opportunities resulting either in Florida unable to post points and/or LSU gaining positive field position without otherwise earning it.

The interception he threw on Florida’s final possession of the first half resulted in an LSU walk-off field goal, and the 58-yard pick six he tossed midway through the third quarter marked the Tigers’ only points of the second half. Those 10 points served as LSU’s entire margin of victory with Lagway’s subsequent interceptions simply burying the Gators further into the dirt. That included his penultimate turnover, which he threw into the end zone despite UF being in position to kick a field goal in a two-score game.

Given his atrocious play through 10 quarters, it has become crystal clear that Lagway should not have started for Florida in Week 1. After spending the entire offseason sidelined rehabilitating various injuries, the lone practice in which Lagway was able to participate has come exclusively over the last few weeks.

“This was his fourth week of practice,” Napier said after the game. “… DJ is our quarterback, and he’s one of the best in the nation.”

Napier spoke regularly about how the Gators and Lagway’s family handled his offseason perfectly to prepare him for the season. This is prepared? Five touchdowns and six interceptions on the season with 82 passes thrown over the last two weeks for a guy who didn’t throw that many balls in seven months?

Whether Florida’s trainers, doctors, Lagway’s family or specialists ultimately made the call that Lagway not undergo offseason shoulder surgery is unknown, but through three games, no one can claim the decision makers around Lagway set him up for a successful playing season.

Lagway has not only failed to progress during what many experts consider the most important offseason of a quarterback’s collegiate career, he’s actively regressed.

The Gators committed seven penalties for 57 yards, including four of the offensive holding variety, one of which negated an 87-yard touchdown pass from Lagway to sophomore running back Jadan Baugh on a broken play. (Other than that throw, Lagway did have a picture-perfect 10-yard fade to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Aidan Mizell for UF’s lone touchdown.) A defensive pass interference by junior cornerback Dijon Johnson created an opportunity for the aforementioned Tigers field goal, though Johnson did redeem himself with a fourth-quarter interception.

Napier appeared to take a step forward with his play calling in the first half, but his continued reliance on screens (easily snuffed out by LSU) in the second half coupled with a refusal to run the ball (despite Baugh, who only got 10 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per tote) was again mind-numbing.

Usually happy to go into halftime without pressing his luck when getting the ball back inside 2 minutes, Napier’s “scared money don’t make money” mantra — long absent at Florida — must have creeped back into his head at the end of the second stanza. Rather than kneel and go into the break, the Gators pressed down the field only for Lagway to throw the interception that led to the go-ahead field goal.

Florida wasted a sterling effort from its defense and special teams. The defense started the game with three straight three-and-outs before ultimately holding LSU to 4 of 14 on third down and 0 of 2 in the red zone. Freshman Vernell Brown III gained 43 yards on three punt returns with two long bring backs. It was ultimately all for naught.

After going through his freshman campaign undefeated in games he started and finished, Lagway in 0-2 in such situations in his second season. Napier has fallen below .500 at 20-21 (10-15 SEC) in four seasons leading the Gators with a paltry 13-20 mark against Power Four opponents (.394).

Odds & ends

Florida now trails LSU 34-35-3 in the all-time series … the Tigers have won six of the last seven meetings and stand 20-17 all-time in Baton Rouge … the Gators have forced a turnover in 14 of the last 16 games … Florida is 4-10 on the road and 5-13 away from home under Napier with a 4-15 mark in its last 18 true road games … the Gators have lost consecutive games despite allowing 20 points or fewer; they were previously 14-0 under Napier in such situations … Florida under Napier is now 1-14 when scoring less than 21 points, 4-15 when tied or trailing at halftime, 3-19 when tied or trailing after the third quarter and 4-14 when being outrushed … the Gators are 4-15 against AP Top 25 teams under Napier and 10-23 against ranked opponents (2-10 vs. top five teams) since 2018 … Florida has scored in 464 consecutive games, an NCAA record