COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Florida’s 34-17 loss at No. 5 Texas A&M continued some long-standing struggles and featured a surprising no-show by the Gators’ defense. UF’s fourth loss in five games, three of them to Top 5 opponents, dropped Billy Napier’s team to 2-4, including 1-2 SEC play, entering the second half of a disappointing season.
“There’s no quick fix here,” he said. “The best thing to do is go win. We got to stay the course.”
Here are five things learned at Kyle Field.
DJ Lagway has had enough
Florida’s quarterback vowed he and the Gators would improve after he threw for 61 yards at Miami, and UF responded by beating Texas. The sophomore was even more dispirited and determined after his long-awaited homecoming became a gut punch and another tough loss.
Growing up just 75 minutes east of College State, Lagway turned Willis High into a winner, but hasn’t had a similar impact this season in Gainesville after he was 6-1 as a starter in 2024.
A promising start Saturday night a pair of first-quarter touchdowns throws, but the offense soon went flat. UF managed another just a field goal, eventually finished 1 of 11 on third down and led Lagway to express frustration.
“I’m not comfortable with this losing stuff,” he said. “I don’t rock with the losing. We can’t get comfortable with this. It’s not acceptable. I’m tired of it, and I can’t go on like this.
“We got to fix it.”
Texas A&M defensive tackle Albert Regis (17) leaps for a loose ball after Florida quarterback DJ Lagway (2) fumbled it during the first half of the Gators’ 34-17 Saturday at Kyle Field to the No. 5 Aggies. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Florida’s quarterback shouldered the responsibility, even though he was under duress after Texas A&M’s defense adjusted.
“It starts with me,” he said. “I gotta demand the tempo. I got to demand excellence out of everybody, and forget feelings. It’s all business at the end of the day. We got to get to work, got to have hard conversations, and we got to fix some things.”
Lagway was 11 of 13 for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns on the first three drives, but ended 21 of 37 for 245 yards while the Aggies sacked him three times and forced two fumbles, recovering one.
“Started fast, we weren’t consistent and we didn’t finish strong,” he said. “We got a lot of things that we’ve got to clean up.”
Defense surprisingly struggles
Florida’s ‘D’ has been the Gators’ ol’ reliable. But Marcel Reed and the Aggies’ attack had their way.
A&M’s quarterback threw a 67-yard completion on his team’s first play to SEC receiving leader Mario Craver, followed by an 8-yard keeper for a two-play scoring drive.
The Aggies found the end zone on their first three drives, culminating with an 11-play, 75-yard march for a 21-14 lead.
“We weren’t ready to play,” sophomore linebacker Myles Graham said. “That game’s on us because we did not start out fast, and then we got in a hole that was hard to get out of. We have to do better.”
Texas A&M had four empty possessions after leading rusher Le’Veon Moss injured his left knee. But the Aggies regained their footing and finished with 183 rushing yards, one fewer than Miami gained during its 26-7 win.
UF failed to sack Moss a week after downing Texas’ Arch Manning six times. A&M ultimately finished 9 of 17 on third down.
“We didn’t sack him all night, so they stayed ahead of schedule,” Napier said.
Florida head coach Billy Napier is now 0-13 against ranked opponents during the regular season at UF.(Photo by Scott Wachter/Getty Images)
Third downer
The Gators were 1 of 11 on third down a week after going of 7 of 14.
At A&M, UF found itself in several third-and-longs, and only once attacked down field when Lagway completed a 25-yard pass to Tre Wilson on on third-and-11. But trailing 24-14 later on the drive and facing third-and-eight from the Aggies’ 33, Napier called a run for Baugh. He gained six yards as UF settled for Trey Smack’s 45-yard field goal.
Other third-and-long play calls were less effective and more perplexing.
On the series after Smack’s kick, the Gators faced third-and-13 from their 22, but Lagway threw a short incompletion to Vernell Brown III. In the second quarter trailing 21-14, Lagway’s screen pass on third-and-12 led to a 3-yard loss for Baugh.
“We threw a screen into man-match coverage, which was not great,” Napier said. “They played zone, they just pushed through the zone and matched the back.”
On its next series, UF Lagway threw a short incompletion to Wilson on third-and-seven.
But the third-down call that will live infamy was Baugh’s run up the middle for no gain on third-and-six at the A&M 49 early in the fourth quarter. A fourth-down incompletion followed to give the Aggies a short field resulting in a 12-play, 50-yard game-sealing touchdown drive.
“We got to execute the third-down play a little bit better,” said Napier, now 0-13 at UF during the regular season against ranked opponents. “You always look back at those when they don’t work. Sometimes they do and you’re happy with them, but when they don’t you second-guess yourself.”
Napier will not be alone.
Texas A&M contains Big D
Defensive-minded Aggies’ head coach Mike Elko made sure Dallas Wilson didn’t build on his record-setting debut against Texas.
An acrobatic 6-yard touchdown catch highlighted an otherwise quiet night. He finished with 3 catches for 20 yards after after he recorded 6 for 111 and 2 touchdowns against Texas.
“That’s what they do,” Napier said of Elko’s team. “They made it tough for us.”
O-line overwhelmed again
Expected to be a force, Florida’s offensive line has been a major disappointment.
Against Texas, the group controlled the line of scrimmage against a talented defense, but were overrun again at A&M. UF was beaten to the punch and on its heels against a defensive front replacing three players drafted during the first two rounds of the 2025 NFL draft.
Left tackle Austin Barber could not contain SEC sacks leader Cashius Howell, who recorded another one to give him eight in 2025. He also had two quarterback hurries.
The Aggies’ interior line roughed up All-American center Jake Slaughter. Meanwhile, the rest of UF’s O-line continued its pedestrian play.
A&M defensive line coach Sean Spencer, whom Napier fired after two seasons (2022-23) at UF, surely was familiar with personnel and tendencies as the Gators managed just 72 rushing yards and failed to keep the pocket clean.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
