3 takeaways from Texas A&M’s big road win over embattled Billy Napier and Florida

The Florida Gators were doomed from the start of Saturday afternoon’s game against Texas A&M at The Swamp.

Gator legend Emmitt Smith, one of the best running backs in the history of football and the honorary Mr. Two Bits, was decked out in Texas A&M gear. It was an odd sight, but an understandable one, as Smith’s son, EJ, is a member of the Aggies.

Still, it was a bad omen for the Gators and embattled coach Billy Napier. Indeed, the Gators weren’t very competitive on either side of a lightning delay at the end of the first quarter.

Mike Elko’s Aggies cruised to a comfortable 33-20 road win over the Gators to improve to 2-1 on the season. Florida fell to 1-2 with the loss.

Here are our 3 biggest takeaways from Saturday’s beatdown at The Swamp:

1. Marcel Reed is a baller

Texas A&M starter Conner Weigman couldn’t play on Saturday due to an injury to his throwing shoulder. That left Marcel Reed as the Aggies’ QB1 in The Swamp.

He delivered in a big way. Here he is throwing across his body to a wide-open receiver for a long touchdown:

Launched. 🚀#GigEm | @Marcel10Reed x @cyrusallen_ https://t.co/0Hoj1ivNQw pic.twitter.com/y1MDrHs6Nx

— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) September 14, 2024

Reed accounted for all 3 offensive TDs from A&M on Saturday — 2 passing and 1 rushing. He finished with 178 yards through the air and ran for 83 yards when all was said and done.

Weigman will likely get a chance to reclaim his job when he’s healthy, but this was a great showing from the backup QB for the Aggies. That should build a lot of confidence both for him and his teammates.

2. The Gators seem to have quit on Billy Napier

I’m not sure whether this loss or the one to Miami was more embarrassing, but the fact that the Gators have been blown out at The Swamp twice already this year is a problem. We’re only 3 weeks into the season and they haven’t been able to do anything in front of their home fans.

Things are only going to get tougher from here on out, as the gauntlet to end the regular season still remains.

Scoring 0 points in the first half was awful. The Gators played better in the third quarter and into the fourth quarter, but not enough to really make a dent in the Aggies’ lead or make them uncomfortable in any way.

Long story short: you’re not going to win with that kind of effort in the SEC.

3. It’s time to see what DJ Lagway can do

This is quickly turning into a lost season for the Gators.

Graham Mertz hasn’t done anything wrong, per se, but every snap that doesn’t go to electric freshman QB DJ Lagway moving forward is a waste. Florida is playing for 2025 at this point, and Lagway will be the face of the program for the next couple of years, at least.

When he took over down the stretch, he made the most of it. Here was his TD pass to Chim Dike:

https://twitter.com/GatorGuyBilly/status/1835096993921700072

Again, there’s nothing wrong with Mertz as a QB. He’s serviceable and mature. He gives his all for Florida every time he steps on the field. That can’t be understated.

But Lagway has the potential to be special.

If Napier continues to take reps away from Lagway in favor of Mertz, a change needs to be made to an interim coach sooner rather than later.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.