Texas Longhorns vs Florida Preview: Gators Offensive Players to Watch

The Longhorn defense will have their hands full trying to stop these players on Florida's offense.

Florida Gators quarterback Aidan Warner (16) rolls from the pocket during the third quarter of an NCAA college football matchup Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Florida Gators 34-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Florida Gators offense doesn't really stand out on the stat sheet. Florida ranks 12th in the SEC total yards per game at 390.1 and 11th in points at 29.5.

And with the uncertainty in the air about who will play quarterback for the Gators, it's hard to truly measure the offensive prowess that Texas will battle on Saturday.

After looking like sustaining a serious injury, Gators QB D.J. Lagway hasn't been made unavailable for the Texas game after head coach Billy Napier didn't rule him out on Monday.

With that being said, we will have to side with caution looking at Florida's offensive players to watch. Lagway has many years ahead of him to be a star for the Gators, and its hard to see Napier putting him out there for a win that won't mean much in the grand scheme of things.

Here are three Gators' offensive players to watch:

1. QB Aidan Warner

Warner had a tough showing against Georgia and shouldn't do much. With that being said, he got thrown into the fire as a freshman and expected to win against on of the top teams in the nation. Of course he was going to "underperform".

Warner finished with seven completed passes on 22 attempts for only 66 yards and an interception. Overall, Warner showed a lot of strength in his throwing power but his decision-making and accuracy were a big problem. If he is to start, Texas needs to ruin his confidence quickly. The Texas offense has had trouble with turnovers and the Florida defense has been creating turnovers like crazy in recent games.

If Warner can find himself in short-field positions to start the game like Georgia and Vanderbilt did. It could help Warner and the Florida offense get more into rhythm and put pressure on Texas. Florida has nothing to lose while Texas has a lot to.

2. RB Ja'Kobi Jackson

With the injury to starting running back Montrell Johnson Jr., Jackson has seen his workload increase as well as his production.

His game against Georgia was the first this season where he amassed over ten carries. Jackson ended with 74 yards on 12 carries and even scored a touchdown. A great feat to do against a team like Georgia. Jackson only averaged about three carries a game before Johnson Jr's injury but still has an impressive stat line of 5.7 yards per carry this season. Furthermore, Jackson has had a gain of at least 10 yards in every game this season despite his low amount of carries early in the season.

Jackson gives Florida a speedy running back who can gash open fields for lots of yards. The Texas defense will have to be prepared for him to get a good amount of touches and to be aware of the dangers of allowing him any open field.

3. WR Elijah Badger

A dangerous deep threat, Badger looks good no matter who is throwing at him. Throughout the season, Badger leads the Gators in receiving yards by over 100 at 560 yards and also in yards per reception at 23.3.

Badger was the only receiver for Florida to catch a pass over 15 yards when Warner was in during Georgia when he had a 26-yard catch to set up the only touchdown scored in the second half for Florida. In the end, Badger was responsible for 36 of the 66 yards that Warner threw for in the game.

And while Texas hasn't allowed many big plays for offense this year, it is worth noting that Badger has two plays under his belt where he has caught a ball for over 50 yards this season. If Warner is the quarterback, his most reliable option will be him and Texas can't let him break into big plays like he's used to.

Florida's offense has a very tall task against a very talented defense. If everything stacks up for the Texas defense like it usually has, this game shouldn't be close. It will be up to the offense's competency for Texas on how well this game fares for the Longhorns.

Join the Community:

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE

You can follow us for future coverage by subscribing to our newsletter here. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @LonghornsCountryOnSI & follow us on Twitter at @LonghornsSI

Other Texas Longhorns News:

MORE: Jake Majors, Kelvin Banks Jr. Won't 'Try Too Much' Ahead of Florida Matchup

MORE: Texas Longhorns LB Anthony Hill Jr. Named Semifinalist for Major Award

MORE: Former Texas Longhorns RB Jonathon Brooks Expected to Make NFL Debut

MORE: Quinn Ewers Impressed Steve Sarkisian During Texas Longhorns Bye Week

MORE: Texas Longhorns Injury Update vs. Florida Gators