Florida Gators

THE QUICK SLANT
Blue 19, Orange 17 

WHAT HAPPENED: Junior Trey Smack kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give his Blue squad a 19-17 victory in Florida's annual Orange & Blue Spring Game on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon at Spurrier/Florida Field. Smack's game-winner came after fifth-year senior quarterback Graham Mertz and his offense took over with just 22 seconds remaining and followed clutch completions of 11 yards to running back Treyaun Webb, 18 to Wisconsin transfer wideout Chimere Dike and 18 more to tight end Arlis Boardingham got Smack in position at the 19-yard line with just two seconds remaining. Mertz, the 2023 starter who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in November, finished 15 of 27 for 243 yards, one touchdown and an interception, but also shared the spotlight in what was the hotly anticipated debut of UF freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, the 2023 Gatorade National Player of the Year out of Willis, Texas. The 6-foot-3, 241-pound Lagway got the start and almost all the reps for the Orange, finishing 12-for-21 for 173 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The Orange began the game with a 3-0 lead — spring contests often have such unconventional rules — courtesy of three points awarded for winning some in-practice competitions Thursday. Those freebies would prove significant, given the final score. Lagway's first three plays (the game's first, as well) were an incompletion on a deep ball down the right sideline for Aiden Mizell, a sack, and incompletion on deep pass down the middle for Marcus Burke. His second drive followed a Mertz-led march to a 32-yard Smack field goal and was much, much better. A 25-yard run by freshman tailback Jadan Baugh (12 carries, 77 yards) got the ball to the Blue 24 and on the first play of the second quarter Lagway fired a 22-yard scoring dart to Mizell, splitting two defenders with a perfect pass into the middle of the end zone. The Blue came right back, thanks to runs of 32 and 15 yards by running back and junior-college transfer Ja'Kobi Jackson (5 carries, 60 yards) put Smack in position for a 38-yard field goal that made the score 10-6. Orange had a chance to pad its lead after reaching the Blue 6, but Hunter Smith badly yanked a 24-yard field goal. Two plays later, Mertz had his team in front after hitting sophomore wideout Eugene Wilson III (8 catches, 160 yards, 1 TD) for a 20-yard gain on the drive's first play, then a 60-yard bomb over the top on the second to go ahead 13-10. Back came Lagway, who had a 12-yard scramble and completions of 24 and 32 yards to Burke (3 catches, 63 yards) that set up a third-and-goal at the Blue 5 with 12 seconds to play in the first half. After a timeout, Lagway threw a perfect pass to third-year junior walk-on Taylor Spierto (3 catches, 40 yards, 1 TD) slanting left to right into the end zone for 17-13 lead. Smack's 39-yard field barely four minutes into the second half, set up by a 50-yard Mertz-to-Kahleil Jackson completion, drew the Blue within 17-16 and in need of some late-game heroics to cancel at those three (free) pregame points. Mertz and Smack provided those heroics. The two offenses put up nearly identical yardage totals, with Blue gaining 327 to Orange's 321. Orange had a significant edge in rushing yards, 129-82, despite six Blue sacks (1.5 each by edges Quincy Ivory and George Gumbs Jr.).  
  WHAT IT MEANS: The conclusion of the spring campaign now gives way to the pivotal offseason "identity" phase, per Coach Billy Napier, when culture-building combines with behind-the-scene workouts, running and lifting and looking ahead to the official start of fall practice in late July. 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Mertz is the clear-cut QB1, but Lagway was the guy UF fans came to see and he gave them reason to be excited about Florida's future. And let's make special mention of Wilson, who just may have been the best player on the team as a freshman last season on his way to catching 61 passes for 538 yards and six scores. He's going to be special. 

STAGGERING STATISTIC: The game's two interceptions (Blue linebacker Mannie Nunnery against Lagway and Orange safety Sharif Denson against Mertz) was one less than the entire Florida defense combined to pick off in all of the 2023 season. Obviously, the UF defense is looking to be a significant jump after being one of the worst in the Southeastern Conference last season.  

UP NEXT: Florida will open the 2024 regular season Aug. 31 at home against the University of Miami. For the Hurricanes, who went 7-6 last season, their second under Mario Cristobal, the game will mark their first game in Gainesville since Sept. 6, 2008, when Tim Tebow and the Gators won 26-3 in what turned out to be their third national-championship season. The two teams last met in the 2019 Week Zero opener, with UF prevailing 24-20 in a neutral-site meeting at Orlando.