Cowbell Corner

Florida’s QB Strategy Against Mississippi State Revealed

Embattled coach Billy Napier describes his plan for how he’ll use two quarterbacks against the Bulldogs

Taylor Hodges

Florida Gators quarterbacks Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway talk before the game against the Samford Bulldogs at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Florida Gators quarterbacks Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway talk before the game against the Samford Bulldogs at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
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STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby and Florida coach Billy Napier are two coaches facing scrutiny this week.

Lebby and the Bulldogs lost to a MAC school last week, but his job is secure. Napier, on the hand, is already seeing stories speculating about who his replacement is going to be.

Both coaches and teams would benefit greatly from a win this weekend, but Florida presents a unique challenge. The Gators have started two quarterbacks in their three games this season, with various degrees of success and there isn’t a clear answer who the Bulldogs will face.

There’s a clear answer now, though.

Napier announced yesterday his plans for quarterback against Mississippi State.

Senior Graham Mertz will start the first and second halves at quarterback and freshman DJ Lagway will be involved early on. It’s the same rotation the Gators used last week against Texas A&M.

“I would say we're committed to playing both players,” Napier said. “I think the approach we've taken kind of gets DJ involved early and then we kind of leave it open-ended after that. That's the commitment there. So both halves are that way. That's ultimately what we decided to do.”

As we detailed yesterday, neither Mertz or Lagway have looked impressive through three games. Hence the rotation plan and caveat that if one is playing significantly better than the other, they’ll only play one quarterback.

“They know that. Ultimately my expectation is they both prepare well, they both practice well, and they both play lights out when given a chance,” Napier said.

Taylor’s Take

Frankly, a two-QB system has never really worked. Ironically, the most successful team that had two quarterbacks was a previous Florida team that had Chris Leak as its starter and some guy named Tim Tebow as a change-of-pace quarterback. I don’t think this Florida team will be as successful as those two, but the Gators shouldn’t be throwing the ball against Mississippi State anyways with their size advantage up front.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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