Texas welcomes Florida to Austin on Saturday with two programs that are headed in different directions. The Gators come into Austin with a 4-4 record and the Longhorns are 7-1 while being ranked No. 5 in the country. Texas is fighting for potential conference and national titles while Florida looks to get bowl eligibility with a coach on the hot seat. Florida’s Athletic Director Scott Stricklin released a statement Thursday stating Head Coach Billy Napier is going nowhere, but that may be the dreaded vote of confidence before being released. Regardless, Napier is coaching for his job and his players know it. Despite their 4-4 record Florida has played hard in every game this year, so if Texas does not show up ready to play, they could find themselves in a dogfight.
Who Starts at QB For Florida
Florida is likely to start their 3rd string quarterback against Texas. Starter Graham Mertz suffered a torn ACL in October against Tennessee, which paved the way for 5-star freshman DJ Lagway. Lagway was flashing his high potential, but last week against Georgia he was carted off the field with a hamstring injury. Billy Napier has Lagway listed as questionable but it would be surprising if Lagway was able to play just one week after being carted off the field. That leaves Aidan Warner as the likely option for the Gators against the Longhorns.
Warner is a redshirt freshman preferred walk on who transferred to Florida from Yale. Warner is not at the stage in his career where he is an SEC level quarterback. That doesn’t mean he cannot get there someday. Warner showed his limitations against Georgia going just 7/22 for 66 yards and an interception. Regardless if it’s Lagway or Warner, the Longhorns will be bringing pressure. This is a game where EDGE Colin Simmons can showcase his talent and potentially get multiple sacks.
Longhorns’ Turnover Issues
Coming into the 2024 season the Texas offense was projected to be one of the best units in the country. That has not been the case since SEC play started. A large reason for the disappointment from the offense has been the turnovers committed. The last three games Texas has committed a turnover in their own territory in the first half. That is crippling, not only to the Longhorn offense, but to the defense as well. It puts the defense in a bad spot early on with them having to defend short fields. The other issue is it provides momentum to the opposing team. That cannot continue moving forward if the Longhorns want to compete for an SEC and National Championship.
Following a bye week the offense should look the best it has in sometime. Florida struggles to stop the run as much as anyone in the SEC and the Texas offensive line should have their way with the Gators defensive line. Look for Tre Wisner and Jaydon Blue to look the best they have in sometime. An improved run game would drastically help Quinn Ewers and the Texas passing game. When Texas is balanced on offense it makes them much harder for a defense to stop. That means likely fewer turnovers will be committed. If the Longhorns do not beat themselves with turnovers, they will be hard for anyone in the country to beat.
