No. 15 Florida shuts out Long Island in blowout opener
Published
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — DJ Lagway threw three touchdown passes, Jadan Baugh ran for 104 yards and a score, and No. 15 Florida opened the season with a 55-0 drubbing of Long Island on Saturday night.
The Gators ended their first eight drives with either a field-goal attempt or an extra point. More than anything, though, facing an overmatched team from the Football Championship Subdivision provided coach Billy Napier with a chance to get Lagway live repetitions for the first time since a December bowl game.
“That was his first scrimmage, if you think about it,” Napier said. “He’ll get his rhythm. He’ll continue to get better. I thought you saw him get better as he kind of got comfortable and settled in.”
Lagway missed months of work following core-muscle surgery, a sore throwing shoulder and, most recently, a strained left calf. He was cleared to fully practice last week and looked a little rusty against the Sharks.
He was sacked on Florida’s first play and threw two errant passes early. But he settled down and showed plenty of promise in the rout.
“It felt great to be back out there,” Lagway said. “Felt like, just as a group, it was very sloppy. I feel like we weren’t playing our brand of football.”
The sophomore completed 15 of 18 passes for 120 yards, with TD passes to Eugene Wilson III, Hayden Hansen and J. Michael Sturdivant.
Lagway’s night ended at halftime, with the Gators leading 38-0. The score would have been more lopsided, but Trey Smack missed two field goals and Florida failed to convert four third downs.
Long Island never came close to scoring. The Sharks managed two first downs and finished with more penalty yards (100) than total yards (86).
“Reality is that’s what it should look like,” Napier said.
Poll implications
The Gators should hold steady in next week’s AP Top 25 poll even though No. 1 Texas and No. 8 Alabama lost on the road.
The takeaway
LIU: The Sharks will get $525,000 for making the trip, a hefty payday that will help fund the entire athletic program.
Florida: Freshman Vernell Brown III flashed. He caught three passes for 79 yards, including a backpedaling, high-pointing, one-handed catch. Brown became the third true freshman in school history to start an opener, joining Percy Harvin (2006) and Antonio Callaway (2015).
Key injuries
Florida was without a handful of potential starters, including defensive tackle Caleb Banks, linebacker Grayson “Pup” Howard and receivers Dallas Wilson and Aidan Mizell.
Billy Donovan honored
Former Florida basketball coach and current Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan was recognized at the end of the first quarter in advance of his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The packed Swamp delivered a standing ovation for Donovan, who guided the Gators to consecutive national titles in 2006 and 2007 during his 19 years in Gainesville,
Donovan will be enshrined with the 2025 class next week in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Up next
LIU plays at Eastern Michigan next Saturday, opening with consecutive Football Bowl Subdivision teams for the first time since 2021.
Florida hosts South Florida next Saturday. The Bulls beat No. 25 Boise State in their opener.
_