Florida football QB DJ Lagway responds to benching in possible audition for Lane Kiffin
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OXFORD, Miss − For a half, at least, Florida football quarterback DJ Lagway looked like the confident, mad-bombing signal caller that took the SEC by storm as a true freshman last season.
But an interception by Lagway in the fourth quarter proved costly for the Florida Gators (3-7, 2-5 SEC) in an eventual 34-24 loss at No. 7 Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC) on Nov. 15 at Vaught-Hemingway stadium.
Lagway connected with receiver J. Michael Sturdivant on a 57-yard TD pass and recorded his first career rushing TD in the first half, helping UF take a 24-20 halftime lead.
But in the fourth quarter, with Florida down 27-24 and the Ole Miss 30-yard line, Lagway threw his SEC-leading 13th interception, a pass that was tipped by Ole Miss linebacker Suntarine Perkins into the hands of safety Wydett Williams Jr.
"Scrambled out," Lagway said. "I had Aidan (Mizell). He beat his defender. Guy in front of me just made a good play and tipped it. Same if our defense tips an overthrow, they've got to get that, and they got it."
Had the pass fallen incomplete on third down, Florida was in position for a game-tying field goal by kicker Trey Smack. Instead, Ole Miss took over with 9:11 remaining and added a TD late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
"He was playing really good," Florida interim coach Billy Gonzales said. "Put us in a position to where we were at. Obviously, got to continue to make great decisions. But he did a really good job of putting us in a position where we needed to be at the end of the game."
How Florida football QB DJ Lagway got going in the first half
After being benched for the first time in his career following a three-interception performance last week against Kentucky, Lagway got off to a better start in the first half.
In addition to the 57-yard TD pass to Sturdivant, Lagway connected on a 47-yard pass to receiver TJ Abrams in the first quarter, then plunged in on a 5-yard TD to cut Ole Miss's lead to 10-7 late in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Lagway's TD pass to Sturdivant put Florida up 21-17. He passed for 155 yards in the first half and wound up 16-of-31 with 218 yards passing with 1 TD and 1 interception for the game. In addition, Lagway continued to make plays with his legs, with 34 yards rushing and 1 TD.
The loss dropped Lagway to 9-8 as a starter in his Florida career as he played in front of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, who is considered the leading candidate to become UF's next coach.
"I played OK," Lagway said. "You know, didn't make the plays when we needed to make them. It's like I've been saying all year, it starts with me, and I gotta do better."
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football QB DJ Lagway puts UF in position for upset vs Ole Miss before critical mistake
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