Florida football snapped a six-game losing streak with a 45-7 win over Samford at The Swamp on Saturday night, giving embattled coach Billy Napier a much-needed win to quiet noise in the system.
But that wasn't the big story.
Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway brought the Fun 'n' Gun back to The Swamp, for a night at least, passing for a true freshman record 456 yards and 3 TDs in his starting debut for the Florida Gators .
Lagway connected on six passes of 30 yards or more, including a 36-yard TD pass to freshman receiver Tank Hawkins, a 41-yard TD pass to redshirt freshman Aidan Mizell and an 85-yard TD to Eugene Wilson III on a shovel pass.
Lagway filled in for starting quarterback Graham Mertz, who remains in concussion protocol but is expected to recover in time for UF's SEC opener against Texas A&M.
Which begs to question, should Lagway hold on to the starting reigns even if Mertz recovers, or does Mertz, who owns a 5-7 record in 12 games as a UF starter, get the starting job back for the Aggies?
"You hate to lose a starting job based on an injury and you hate it for Mertz because he's done everything that's been asked of him since he's been here," Whitley said. "But there are desperate times, and desperate times call for desperate measures."
Brockway pointed out there's a self-preservation mode in play for Napier, who is 12-15 as UF's coach and may be coaching the rest of the season for his job. Napier, Brockway said, could turn to Lagway over Mertz based on his talent and upside.
"They will do their evaluations," Brockway said. "I know Florida fans may not trust their evaluations, but Billy is going to either sink or swim on this and if he feels like Graham Mertz is the best guy to start against Texas A&M based on his experience in the SEC, then so be it, but I think DJ Lagway has to be in the game plan."
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Should Florida football QB DJ Lagway start vs Texas A&M? Swampcast discusses
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