The Florida Gators have been snakebit at quarterback this season.
Senior Graham Mertz suffered a career-ending torn ACL in the team’s 23-17 overtime loss to the Tennessee Volunteers, leading to freshman phenom DJ Lagway getting moved to the top spot on the depth chart.
Lagway has been playing well, leading the Gators to a victory over the Kentucky Wildcats along with an eye-popping 18-for-25 performance for 456 yards and three touchdowns in an early season win over the Samford Bulldogs while Mertz was hurt.
Lagway and the Gators got out to a good start over the weekend in The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party against the Georgia Bulldogs, but the quarterback was carted off the field in the first half with a hamstring injury while the team held a 10-3 lead.
The quarterback’s absence proved too tough to overcome, though, and Georgia cruised to a 34-20 victory as walk-on Aidan Warner went 7-for-22 for 66 yards and an interception.
With a trip to Austin to face the Texas Longhorns awaiting the Gators on November 9, the team would certainly like to have Lagway back. While that seemed unlikely immediately after the game, head coach Billy Napier was more cautiously optimistic on Monday.
“The good news is we’ve had positive information on that front. We do think that the injury is less significant and there’s path to a recovery and return,” Napier said Monday via ESPN.
Napier expects a clearer picture for Lagway’s status as the week moves on.
[ESPN]
