Florida Matchup Should Provide Two Key Challenges For Texas A&M

The Texas A&M Aggies travel to Gainesville to take on a Florida team that is desperate for a win vs. a true opponent.

Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) sings with Florida Gators offensive lineman Fletcher Westphal (68) and Florida Gators offensive lineman Austin Barber (58) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 7, 2024 after defeating the Samford Bulldogs 45-7. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Texas A&M Aggies got a much-needed pallet cleanser on Saturday, blowing out the McNeese State Cowboys to move to 1-1 on the season.

Similarly, the Aggies next opponent, the Florida Gators, got their own redemption as well, blowing out Samford over the weekend after their dreadful opener against Miami in Week 1.

And while the Aggies program is just getting restarted under Mike Elko, the Gators have been floundering under Billy Napier since 2022. As a result, Saturday's matchup in The Swamp feels like a must-win for Florida.

That said, despite the Aggies entering the game as favorites, Florida will likely not be a walk in the park.

In fact, Mike Elko believes that the Gators will present some serious challenges for his team on Saturday - on both sides of the ball.

Sep 7, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) throws the ball against the Samford Bulldogs during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

"Offensively, it's a group that has played a lot of football. Very experienced and talented, " Elko said. "Defensively, it's an SEC group when you look at them. They're long and tall, they have a lot of girt inside, and their defensive line is really talented... When you get Into SEC play, you get a different level of twitch, and we'll prepare for that appropriately."

Those challenges begin with the quarterback situation, where uber-talented freshman DJ Lagway and veteran Graham Mertz are expected to slipt reps.

"They've got two extremely talented quarterbacks who have some different skill sets," Elko said. "So it'll be a challenge for us to prepare for both and make sure that we're ready for both."

Last week with Mertz missing the game due to injury, Lagway took over as the starter, lighting things up by throwing for 18 of 25 for 456 yards and three scores.

However, despite the explosive performance, Mertz remains the starter. However, Lagway will also see time.

So how do the Aggies prepare for the two-quarterback system? According to Elko, it starts with not overcompensating for either one.

"You come up with a plan on how you want to handle both kids," Elko said. "You have to prepare like both of them are going to play the whole time. You can't come up with two different game plans because your kids could get paralyzed by volume."

As for the other side of the ball, the Gators are very much an SEC opponent in terms of talent, and while they struggled vs. Miami in the opener, they rebounded nicely in Week 2 vs. the Bulldogs.

Florida Gators linebacker Grayson Howard (10) tackles Samford Bulldogs wide receiver E. Jai Mason (3) during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 7, 2024 against the Samford Bulldogs. The Florida Gators won 45-7 over the Bulldogs. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

And that holds true both in the trenches and on the back end, where Elko believes the Gators are extremely gifted.

"They're extremely athletic. Their two corners are really long and athletic," Elko said. "They can cover at an elite clip. They roll a lot of different guys up front. They're going to come at us in waves and be really fresh. They're a talented SEC football team, and they'll be a big challenge."

Fortunately, the Aggies do have an advantage of sorts in their pocket, with two coaches - defensive coordinator Jaye Bateman and defensive line coach Sean Spencer - as well as two players - corner Jaydon Hill and linebacker Scooby Williams - all coming over to College Station from Gainesville in the offseason.

Will that make a difference at the end of the day for Texas A&M? Only time will tell.

But it certainly doesn't hurt.

"It helps when you have some guys that have some familiarity with the team you're playing against," Elko said. "It provides some insight to personnel and things like that."

The Aggies and Gators will kickoff from The Swamp at 2:30 pm CT on ABC.