GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Saturday afternoon was guaranteed to be jovial inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium regardless of how the football team looked during the annual Orange & Blue Game.
The Gators celebrated the UF men's basketball team's national championship in front of more than 56,000 fans. Those in attendance gave March Madness hero
Walter Clayton Jr. a roaring applause when introduced at the halftime ceremony. Florida fans would have cheered Clayton Jr. if he had thrown three interceptions in the first half.
Of course, quarterbacks
Harrison Bailey (Orange) and
Aidan Warner (Blue) had no such luxury, with starter
DJ Lagway limited in Saturday's game. Lagway continues to nurse a sore shoulder and lower-body injury that restrained him in spring camp. He did take the first snap of the game and handed it off to
Ja'Kobi Jackson. But for the most part, Lagway was a spectator other than a few random handoffs.
Meanwhile, Bailey and Warner got an opportunity to show they are skilled enough to take over for Lagway should they be needed in the fall.
"You guys watched the scrimmage," Gators head coach
Billy Napier said. "I think those guys were very capable, and I thought Aidan did a good job running his team, and I think Harrison [had] maybe a little bit of a slow start, the players around him [had] some drops. I think the protection at times could have been a little better, but in general, I was pleased."
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For those keeping score,
the Blue team beat the Orange team. And for those wondering,
Napier provided an update on Lagway after the game.
As we cap another Orange & Blue Game, here are a few observations from my seat in the press box Saturday:
THE BACKUP SLINGERS
Warner got off to a faster start and finished 10 of 23 for 157 yards and two touchdowns. He did appear more comfortable than anything we saw last season when he replaced the injured Lagway in the losses to Georgia and Texas. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound Warner is the third option and did nothing to hurt himself on Saturday. "It's an opportunity I'm super grateful for because [last year] didn't exactly go how we wanted it to," he said. "But this is an opportunity to get back on my feet, compete, and get better." While Warner has limited experience, Bailey stepped onto Florida Field as a starting quarterback for the second time Saturday. The first happened in December 2020 when Bailey completed 14 of 21 passes for 111 yards and one touchdown in Tennessee's 31-19 Covid-season loss to the Gators. "Bailey held onto the ball too long sometimes,'' then-Vols coach
Jeremy Pruitt said that night. "But that's what a young guy will do." Bailey is the new guy in the room, but he is no longer the young guy, having played at Tennessee, UNLV and Louisville before transferring to Florida after last season. In his Gators debut, Bailey completed 29 of 43 for 363 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. In fairness, the interception was a catchable pass off the hands of receiver
TJ Abrams that freshman defensive back
Drake Stubbs picked off. Bailey was named MVP of the Sun Bowl in his last game at Louisville, and his addition provided much-needed insurance behind Lagway. "It's just good momentum to have,'' Bailey said of his performance. "Everybody on the Orange team's offense performed."
THE BIG TARGET
Freshman receiver
Dallas Wilson passes the eye test. Whether Saturday was your first time seeing him in person or the 100th, Wilson has a dash of that "
it factor" coaches like to talk about. The 6-foot-3, 209-pound Wilson showed it with 10 receptions for 195 yards and a pair of scores from Bailey. "That's what a five-star looks like,'' Napier said. Wilson's performance matched the spring game-record for receiving yards set by Trevon Grimes in 2019, and the 10 receptions set a new spring record. Wilson caught 20- and 19-yard touchdown passes in the fourth quarter as the Orange team heated up. Wilson's presence and play-making ability impressed Bailey. "I was going to find a way to get him the ball,'' Bailey said. "He plays in a very veteran kind of style, the way he runs routes, very crisp."
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BACKFIELD BOYS
The running back duo of
Jadan Baugh and
Ja'Kobi Jackson can be as good or better than the
Montrell Johnson Jr.-
Trevor Etienne backfield the Gators relied heavily on in Napier's first two seasons based on what we saw Saturday. Baugh carried 11 times for 56 yards; Jackson 10 times for a spring game-record 198 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a 90-yard score. Baugh and Jackson contributed more to the offense as last season went on, and both appeared to be hungry and improved heading into the 2025 season. "
Jadan Baugh is great,'' Jackson said. "That's my guy. Every day is a competition, and we come in ready to work."
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EXTRA POINTS
The offense stole the show in the spring game, with the teams combining for 831 yards to give fans what they wanted — hence the lack of defensive highlights … Wilson wasn't the only newcomer to haul in passes. Fellow freshmen
Naeshaun Montgomery (three receptions, 70 yards) and
Vernell Brown III (4-34) got into the action, and UCLA transfer
J. Michael Sturdivant (1-29) had a deep catch on the opening drive … Montgomery left the field late in the fourth quarter with an upper-body injury … Kicker
Trey Smack connected on a 56-yard field goal with 4:31 remaining, the longest field goal in Orange & Blue Game history … Freshman linebacker
Ty Jackson, who is from Fort Lauderdale, flashed some potential in his first appearance for the Gators. Jackson finished with a game-high 11 tackles for the Blue and added a sack and two tackles-for-loss. Jackson was one of 28 players who made their Gators debut on Saturday … Finally, the season opener on Aug. 30 against Long Island is 138 days away from today (April 14).
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