2024 Florida Football Postgame Notes
Florida 27, No. 21 LSU 16
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field – Gainesville, Fla.
THE OPENING DRIVE – GATORS DOMINATE UP FRONT TO TAKE DOWN NO. 21 TIGERS
- Florida delivered its third win vs. the AP Top 25 of the Billy Napier era as an unranked team and has
now won at least one ranked game in all three years of his tenure. - Florida started a true freshman quarterback and running back in QB DJ Lagway and RB Jadan
Baugh for the second-time in program history and is now 2-0 with the only two FBS wins this season
while starting a true freshman backfield. - Both Lagway and Baugh accounted for touchdowns in the victory.
- Florida out-sacked LSU by a 7-0 margin, setting a season high in sacks and tackles for loss (11).
- The Gators rushed for 6.6 YPC to LSU’s 2.7 YPC and posted 11 tackles for loss while LSU had one.
- Florida held LSU to its fewest points (16) in the series since 2016 (10).
- The Gators have won three-straight games in The Swamp by double-digits (vs. UCF, vs. Kentucky,
vs. No. 21 LSU), outscoring its opponents by 50 total points. - Week 12 vs. LSU marked the 11th-straight sellout in The Swamp and the 15th of the Billy Napier era.
OFFENSIVE NOTES - RB Jadan Baugh made his third-career start and carried six times for 65 yards (10.8 YPC) and one
touchdown. - Baugh broke off a career-long 55-yard TD scamper to put UF up, 27-16, with 3:53 in the fourth.
- Baugh owns seven rushing touchdowns in the last four games.
- QB DJ Lagway returned for his fourth-career start after missing Week 11 due to injury and
completed 13-of-26 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown for a 135.7 rating. - Lagway has thrown five touchdowns to two interceptions in his starts.
- WR Chimere Dike hauled in a 34-yard catch on UF’s second drive and now owns 15 catches of 20-
plus yards this season (explosive plays). - Florida delivered a five-play, 80-yard TD drive on its second possession by using a 34-yard grab from
Dike, a 20-yard rush by RB Ja’Kobi Jackson and a 23-yard TD reception from WR Elijhah Badger. - Badger led the team with six catches and 131 yards with five receptions going for 17-plus yards.
- Badger posted his third 100-yard game of this season (team high) and the seventh of his career.
- Badger also caught his third TD of the campaign.
- Jackson gave UF its first lead with a one-yard TD rush in the fourth quarter, marking his fifth TD of the
season (four of five in SEC play). - Jackson rushed six times for 37 yards (6.2 YPC).
- TE Tony Livingston recorded a career-long catch of 14 yards in the second quarter.
- In 26 of 35 games in the Napier era, Florida has registered at least one passing touchdown.
- Florida has scored a rushing TD in nine of 10 games this season, and in 29 of 35 games under
Napier. - The Gators have rushed for 100-plus yards in nine of 10 games this season, and in 29 of their last 35
games since 2022.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
● The Gators set a season high with seven sacks vs. LSU – the team’s most in SEC play this season.
● Florida’s 11 tackles for loss were also the team’s most in SEC play this season.
● Florida recorded a takeaway for the seventh-straight game and has forced a turnover in nine of 10
games overall.
● Florida held its opponent to zero opening-drive points for the fourth-straight game.
● The Gators stopped LSU on fourth and one on the opening drive thanks to DB Dijon Johnson’s first-
career tackle for loss.
● EDGE Tyreak Sapp logged a career-high 4.0 TFLs to increase his team-leading total to 9.0.
o Sapp also had one sack for a loss of seven yards in the fourth quarter.
o Sapp’s four TFLs are the most by any Gator this season.
o He finished with a career-high eight tackles.
● LB Shemar James secured his first two sacks of the season (5.0 in career) and led UF with 11 tackles.
● DL Caleb Banks came up with a sack and forced fumble on LSU’s first drive of the second half.
● Banks later forced and recovered a fumble to finish with the first-two forced fumbles of his career.
● EDGE TJ Searcy forced a sack fumble in the third quarter.
● LB Myles Graham had a career-high seven tackles after a career-high five last week at Texas.
● EDGE George Gumbs Jr. registered UF’s fourth sack to force an LSU punt at the end of the third.
● EDGE Kamran James notched his first-career sack for Florida’s fifth of the game.
● Since the start of 2021, Florida has out-sacked its opponents by a plus-25 margin.
● The Gators have produced at least one turnover in 26 of 35 games in the Napier era.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
● P Jeremy Crawshaw punted four times for an average of 37.8 yards with all four landing inside the
20-yard line.
● K Trey Smack went 2-for-2 on field goals featuring a career long of 55 yards.
● Smack connected for a 49-yard field goal to give Florida a 10-7 lead in the second quarter and hit
his 55-yarder to tie it at 13-13 in the third quarter.
o It marked the fifth game this season that Smack has hit a 40-plus yarder.
o Smack now has four makes of 50-plus yards in his career.
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS (11)
● WR Chimere Dike (from QB DJ Lagway): 34-yard reception, first quarter
● RB Ja’Kobi Jackson: 20-yard rush, first quarter
● WR Elijhah Badger (from Lagway): 23-yard TD reception, first quarter
● RB Jadan Baugh: 11-yard rush, first quarter
● RB Montrell Johnson Jr.: 10-yard rush, second quarter
● WR Elijhah Badger (from Lagway): 19-yard reception, third quarter
● WR Elijhah Badger (from Lagway): 17-yard reception, third quarter
● WR Elijhah Badger (from Lagway): 24-yard reception, third quarter
● WR Elijhah Badger (from Lagway): 36-yard reception, fourth quarter
● TE Hayden Hansen (from Lagway): 19-yard reception, fourth quarter
● RB Jadan Baugh: 55-yard TD rush, fourth quarter
SERIES UPDATES
● Week 12 represented the 71st all-time meeting between Florida and LSU and 35th in Gainesville.
● With today’s victory, the Gators improve 34-34-3 (.500) in the all-time series vs. the Tigers and 17-15-
3 (.529) in Gainesville.
- HC Billy Napier improves to 1-2 against LSU HC Brian Kelly as head coaches.
- Florida held LSU to its fewest points (16) in the series since 2016 (10).
THE STREAK
● Florida has scored in 458-consecutive games — an NCAA record and 53 games longer than any
other college football team in history.
o The Gators broke Michigan’s record of 365 games (1984-2014) vs. LSU on Oct. 7, 2017.
o The last time Florida was shut out was on Oct. 29, 1988 vs. Auburn (L, 16-0).
GAME DETAILS
● Florida Game Captains: #17 WR Chimere Dike, #99 DL Cam Jackson, #24 RB Ja’Kobi Jackson
● Coin Toss: Florida won the toss and deferred, Florida defended the south endzone.
● Attendance: 90,067 (11th-straight sellout)
University of Florida Football
Media Conference
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Gainesville, Florida, USA
Coach Billy Napier
Press Conference
Florida – 27, LSU – 16
BILLY NAPIER: I think before we get to the players and
the staff, I think we have to give the crowd a ton of credit.
That place was electric tonight and played a major factor in
the game. Obviously the kids feed off of it. And 11 straight
sell-outs, and something about when the sun goes down,
it’s pretty special in there. Very thankful for our fans. And
to continue to show up, right, and do their part. Obviously
we’ve struggled at times, but I’m just very thankful for the
overall support and the way they impacted the game
tonight.
I think you’ve got to give this group of kids a ton of credit.
Relative to the resiliency they’ve showed, I think for me
there’s a purpose behind the game, and that starts with the
players, and I certainly think this group would not be able
to have done what they did tonight without a good
foundation, something to stand on. I think they’ve got good
character, and I’m very thankful for them relative to how
they’ve stuck together and continue to work extremely hard
and continue to improve. A lot of young players continue
to grow up out there.
So this was complementary ball at its best. Felt like an
NFL game. It was back and forth. We did a lot of things
well. There are areas we can do better. I do think we
made them earn it on defense. We limited the big play, but
obviously we’ve got to do a better job getting off the field on
third down, especially in the first half. The play count and
time of possession was very unique. It was 48-21 at
halftime, and then obviously look at it really out of whack at
the end of the game. I think they ran 92 plays to our 43.
We had a few penalties on offense we need to clean up.
We had some delay of games. Couple of false starts.
Obviously a holding. But in general, we did enough to win,
and we stood up in that second half and I thought the
defense got a couple of takeaways. Obviously a sack
fumble. And then the missed field goal, and we played
clean on offense and didn’t turn it over. Punted them deep
a handful of times. And I thought the field position was
key.
So credit to the staff for having a good plan. In particular,
on defense, I felt we were really sharp on normal downs.
And these kids showed up and played. And I’m proud of
them.
Q. What did D.J. do to elevate things, and one throw in
particular where the guys were coming in, he steps up,
he’s walking a little gingerly at this point in the game
fires it to Badger?
BILLY NAPIER: Elite play. That throw to Badger, stepping
up into the pocket, left tackle was on an edge and just
those are throws — God blessed that young man, is what I
would say.
But, yeah, I think your question is key, and I think we all felt
that last week and this week. I thought there was a
difference knowing that he was working his butt off with our
training staff to get back and be available in the game and
the way he approached that this week, the way the training
staff worked overtime.
And again, the guy wasn’t 100 percent. He wanted to play
last week. And then obviously he came in the building
Sunday, said, “I’m playing this week.” And we kept him in
the pocket for the most part, limited the read game and the
run game and overall it ended up working out.
Q. The pressure you were able to get with the front
seven throughout the night, especially in the second
half, after giving up a good bit of rushing yards, just
how critical do you think that was? And kind of a
microcosm of the strides the defense has been able to
make all season long.
BILLY NAPIER: Seven sacks. I thought we stayed on top
of them for the most part. I thought the leverage in
coverage was pretty good. That was one of the keys to the
game was we covered them with the group of DBs that we
had, I felt we hung in there pretty good.
A lot of those are coverage sacks, where we’re landing, but
we certainly affected the quarterback. And he made a lot
of unannounced plays, off-schedule plays, where we did
get him off of spot, and then giving Nussmeier some credit,
I thought he made some plays on the run, a lot of
impressive plays.
Q. How critical to be able to protect D.J. given his
injury situation not giving up a sack, what did you
make of the offensive line play outside of the
penalties?
BILLY NAPIER: I thought it was solid. Obviously we did
enough in the run game. Obviously the one explosive
helps the numbers. But keeping him clean was a big
mission. Part of the mission was to keep him clean.
They’ve got some good rushers. But overall I felt for the
most part we did a good job in that area.
Q. How much of that defensive effort was pride from
last week, like, you get hurt like that, 49 points, and it
shows how resilient these guys are?
BILLY NAPIER: I think last week was unacceptable, is
what I think. And I think they took ownership of that.
There wasn’t a lot of moping around. I think they ultimately
took ownership of it, and we did some of those things
better. We tackled better.
I thought the rushing the coverage worked better together.
We covered them. We played with the right leverage and
we were able to get to the quarterback.
So gotta clean up third down. I think they were 15-28 on
conversion downs. A little over 50 percent, which is a good
day. About 45 percent would be a goal, and they obviously
met their goal.
Q. How much of a launching point can this game be
for Caleb Banks, and what has he done in recent
practices to elevate himself to the point where he had
a game like he did tonight?
BILLY NAPIER: I’m proud of Caleb. We tried to include
him more on third down. And I think he’s really worked
hard this offseason. Really 58 plays at his prior stop. 300
plays last year. And this year, a starter, and obviously
trying to grow his role and create more value for him. So
playing him on third down tonight, and he was a factor. I
think Caleb has a bright future in front of him. He can
really go places.
Q. The drive, when you’re up 20-16, you’re probably
think four-minute offense, but beginning with D.J.
finding the tight end and ending with the explosive end
there, how big it was to finish it off?
BILLY NAPIER: Huge. We had a lot of bullets in the gun
at that point, right, because we had run minimal plays; but,
yeah, I think the quick game completion to Hansen over
the middle was huge and Haden did a great job running
after the catch.
And you’re going to watch that play where Jadan scored,
and you’re going to see guys playing without the ball,
Badger, Hansen, Barber, critical point of attacks there on
the perimeter run, and 13 did the rest. But it was a
good-looking play.
Q. Was it more or less trying to pick the spots for D.J.
to pass tonight? I know that you wanted to protect him
and he wanted to establish the running game, but was
it more just finding those moments and finding those
receivers when you needed it?
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I think we threw it 26 times out of
43, right? So he had opportunities tonight. I think we’ve
got to protect him a little bit better, and I think there were
some opportunities to make some plays. In the seams,
there was a lot of bang-bang throws in the seams, couple
of opportunities early with DK. And then I thought he did a
good job extending a little bit, throwing it away when he
needed to. But, yeah, I mean, 26 passes out of 43 plays,
he got a lot of opportunities.
Q. Talk about what Chim and Elijhah have meant to
D.J. and his maturation, having experienced guys to
throw to and working with a young quarterback, what
they’ve meant to the development of the passing
game?
BILLY NAPIER: Those two guys have been key, really
good evaluations. I think the personnel, Burt did a
phenomenal job identifying those guys, and we were able
to recruit them and they hit the ground running. DK was
here in the spring. But Badger, getting here in the
summer, both have improved as players.
Coach Gonzales has done a great job with both players.
They’ve really — the scouts are high on them. They’ve
increased their value. But there’s no question, when you
play quarterback, the players around you have to play well.
And those guys, they separate, they get open and they
make plays on the ball. They make contested catches,
and there’s no question those guys have done a great job
for the Gators.
Q. Special teams came up big, 55-yard field goal. You
touched on it. And I think probably the play of the
game was maybe the punt that you dropped in at the
8-yard line, changed the whole game right there.
BILLY NAPIER: We did. We had some frustrations in the
fringe landmarks there and we had to hang punt a couple
times and play field position. Jeremy obviously is a Ray
Guy finalist this week. Has an elite future. Best punter in
the country.
And those are the little things. Those are the situational
football things. Really good job by Rocco. Chim was in
position. We were able to play field position and the
defense took advantage of that position. You’re spot on.
Q. Shemar, 11 tackles, couple of sacks, bunch of
pressures, kid with a lot of adversity after injuries. Is
that the best he’s played, and how gratifying was it to
see?
BILLY NAPIER: I think lately he’s really starting to play
well. Shemar is a three-down player. He can play — I
thought he’s improved as a tackler. Just his stopping
power has improved. And I think just in general him as a
communicator, as a leader. He’s a guy that has a ton of
positive energy. Fun to be around. Does a great job
throughout the week affecting the other players. He can
play on all three downs, good match-up backer on pass
coverage. And he’s a heck of a blitzer. He’s loose and
slippery and a guy who weighs 235 pounds. Shemar
continues to get better. Obviously overcome a lot with
injury. We’re proud of him.
Q. How do you feel like Jadan and the other
linebackers did stepping up for Pup and also Bridges
going full time at corner this week?
BILLY NAPIER: I think with Pup being out, Jadan — Myles
Graham and Aaron Chiles played significant snaps tonight
as well.
But that’s a room that has depth. A lot of smart players in
that room. And we’ve been rolling those guys, playing
some of the young guys, and certainly I think that
experience paid off tonight.
But Jadan Robinson is one of my favorite players. Guy just
shows up and works, and he obviously was a factor today.
Good to see those young kids in there making some plays
too.
Q. What’s this do to validate things for you a little bit,
beating a ranked opponent, big game, keeps you on
track to get a bowl game and rivalry? And then the
Texas game, obviously, coming right on the vote of
confidence has kind of left a bad taste.
BILLY NAPIER: Look, I think the big thing is just you’ve
got to compliment our players and staff just for staying the
course. I mean, it’s no easy task to keep focused on the
work in front of you and be present.
We talked all week about working as if we’re on a one-day
contract. And every day, hey, look, if we’re watching you
the entire day and evaluating how you work, would you get
the call back for the next day? And I think they took that
personal, and I think that we had a good day every day of
the week. I thought we built momentum to the end of the
week. And certainly they played that way with that type of
attitude tonight.
Q. Sort of going off that question a little bit, obviously
the signature win for the season and ending the streak
of losses against ranked opponents. What’s this win
say about the future of the program, not just for the
last two games of the season, but kind of the seasons
and beyond potentially for recruits that are interested
anything of that nature?
BILLY NAPIER: I think it’s the players reflect that. I think
obviously we’re trying to create a culture here. I think the
intangibles of the group are what we would want from our
players. Obviously the football needs to continue to
improve. I do think it is improving, and I think that’s a result
of each individual player contributing.
The way we practice, the way we prepared throughout the
week, if you’re going to have a good football team, you’ve
got to do it all. And I think this group continues to show
that they’re up for the challenge.
When we recruited these guys, part of this sale was like,
look, you have to understand, you have to be up for the
challenge. If we’re going to rebuild this place and create a
championship contender, it will be rocky at times and
you’ve got to be a tough guy and you’ve got to be up for
the challenge. And I think this group has proved they’re up
for that and we need to continue the work. We’re right in
the middle of this journey here.
Look, it’s harder than ever, in my opinion. I think these
guys could have pointed fingers and splintered a long time
ago. That’s what I’m most proud of. We played well
tonight, but the way they’ve handled their business
throughout the year and for them to continue to show up
and work and care for each other and try to get better and
compete, I think we’re learning how to win and ultimately I
think belief is the most powerful, belief and hope are the
most powerful things in the world, and I think we’ve got
that. Just proud of the players.
Q. Your secondary remains really banged up but Dijon
Johnson had a big tackle early, and you had to play
(indiscernible) and Aaron Gates, how they’ve held the
things together in this game.
BILLY NAPIER: Quez versatility has been critical. Played
both safeties and corners. And Gates continues to
improve. And Denson played some snaps, but for Dijon
Johnson, he’s out there playing banged up, showed
toughness, grit, sacrificing for the team. He’s in the training
room every day of the week all day to try to get ready. He
played last week and he was not even close to 100
percent. I think him and Gates and Castell and Thornton,
big part of the game tonight is we covered them, and I think
ultimately hats off to that group.
Q. It looked to me like the game has slowed down a
little bit for D.J. He’s starting to make more reads
going through progressions. I’m not saying the ball
looks like a beach ball, but do you think it has slowed
down for him? There was a rumor from an ESPN
cameraman that Steve Spurrier said to the team that if
they won and the fans stormed the field that he would
pay the fine.
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I’ll tell you what, I think, first of all,
let me say this, okay, our players got wind of that. And
they were talking about it earlier today. I think it juiced
them up a little bit. Anytime a head ball coach speaks, we
listen. This is his place. Player, coach, Gator legend, and
I’m thankful for Coach. Coach has been phenomenal since
the first day I got here, for him to continue to support these
guys, I think, is a big deal. And we’ll get to do that in the
future.
Q. (Inaudible)?
BILLY NAPIER: I think it slows down. You’ll have to talk to
him a little bit. D.J. told me specifically earlier in the week
the game was slowing down. You’ve got to go back all the
way to January. This guy is playing plays in the Gator
room. Coach O’Hara has done a phenomenal job, all the
way back to day one, he’s had a chance to observe
Graham Mertz and how he worked like a professional, how
to prepare, how to lead, and I think D.J. has — the game
has slowed down. He’ll tell you that.
Look, he’s only going to get better. I respect him as a
competitor on game day, the way he handles himself
between the lines. The guy’s completely into it as a
competitor, doing everything he can to win the game, and
he did enough tonight.
Q. I don’t think many people before the season started
would have thought you guys had a 1-2 punch at
running back with Ja’Kobi and Jadan. You have that
now. And what do you think it says about Jabbar and
his ability to develop running backs with Jadan only
being a true freshman?
BILLY NAPIER: They’re good evaluations from the
personnel department. I think both are fantastic kids.
Look, they both had incredible training camps. They ran
the ball like that in training camp. Jabbar continues to
produce. I mean, look, now as much as they play well on
Saturday, I don’t ever have to worry about a running back
off the field.
I mean, his group is accountable. They do everything right.
They’re a class act. And he did it at Louisiana. He’s done
it at other stops in his career. I think his background as a
high school coach, he cares for kids, and he’s tough on
them and he holds them accountable. Hats off to both
those guys, and certainly hats off to Coach Juluke as well.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
University of Florida Football
Media Conference
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Gainesville, Florida, USA
Shemar James
Press Conference
Florida – 27, LSU – 16
Q. Your thoughts on getting this win and what it
means for the program right now.
SHEMAR JAMES: It was a big win coming off that L we
took in Texas. We kind of preached, wipe that out, review,
go into next week. That’s what we did. I’m proud of the
offense, special teams and defense for coming up with a
big win.
Q. I know you may not feel like a veteran, but
considering the linebackers around you in the room,
from Myles to Aaron to Jadan Robinson as well, their
performance playing elevated snaps with Pup out,
what did you think of their performance tonight?
SHEMAR JAMES: They stepped up big tonight, Aaron,
Myles, and did what we needed them to do, step up, make
plays when it counted and lead the defense.
Q. Shemar, seven sacks tonight for, I think LSU
allowed only nine sacks all season – six. You guys
literally get more than they allowed all season. What
was the formula to being able to get to Nussmeier,
especially in the second half?
SHEMAR JAMES: Game plan was just guys executing.
We had a specific game plan to get after the quarterback.
That’s what we did. We affected them.
Q. Third downs, one of the downsides, over 50
percent, 24 attempts, what’s the key with an Ole Miss
explosive offense coming in here next week, trying to
prevent that?
SHEMAR JAMES: Correct our mistakes. Every
conversion they had was because of us, and we can
always go in the film room and correct those mistakes.
Q. What do you think made the pass rush so
successful tonight? They came into the game allowing
the fewest sacks in the country, I don’t know if you
knew that. But obviously something worked.
SHEMAR JAMES: Just staying in your rush lane, staying
in your rush lanes and crushing the pocket for the
quarterback. Making them step outside of the pocket.
That’s what we did. We came up with big-time plays and
big-time sacks.
Q. The home crowd seemed to really play a big
difference in the game tonight. How much do you
think that impacted the outcome of the game
especially for you guys defensively?
SHEMAR JAMES: The crowd, 96,000, they were pretty
loud. 90,000. Okay. Yeah, however many. They were
very helpful for us. On the third down they got very loud.
First and second downs they were very loud, and that was
like our 12th man, the 12th man on the field. I appreciate
every fan in the stands tonight.
Q. Last week you talked a little bit about how
humbling was that loss and how motivating was it to
not let that thing happen again, 49 points, and the way
you guys were out of it early.
SHEMAR JAMES: We kind of knew that that wasn’t our
brand of football that we played in Texas, and that’s kind of
why we came out tonight, and we were, like, giving 110
percent. That was a bad taste we had and we got it out of
our mouth.
Q. When Billy gets the vote of confidence and two
days later that performance kind of happens, how
important was it to kind of validate what he’s doing,
what you guys are doing, and with the performance
like tonight’s?
SHEMAR JAMES: Yes, sir, Coach always preaches to the
last whistle. That’s what we were doing. We’ve got a
couple more games to go and we’re going to play 110
percent the rest of the season, yes, sir.
Q. What was the key specifically on Nussmeier,
because seemed like you had him flustered especially
in the first half?
SHEMAR JAMES: Get after him, make him step out of the
pocket and make the throws and that was the game plan.
Q. 92 plays. 92 plays the defense was out there. Did it
feel like 92 plays, and how patient did this defense
have to be to just stay the course the whole time?
SHEMAR JAMES: Yeah, that was a pretty long game. I
thought it was like 100 or so. But we just kept fighting.
Like I said, Coach Nape and Coach Armstrong and Coach
Roberts always preach to the last whistle. That’s what we
did. I’m extremely proud of the way we finished the way
we did.
Q. You guys have said time and time again, big reason
you have stayed together, there’s a lot of guys in the
locker room you want to play for, especially the
seniors. How important it is to keep this thing going,
flush this one, in a sense, get ready for next week for
Senior Day against Ole Miss?
SHEMAR JAMES: Like you said, we’re a band of players.
We say play for the man next to you. That’s what we’ll
continue to do for the rest of the season. Like you said, we
have seniors, last year playing football, we want to spend
them out with a bang.
Q. The guys in front of you on the defensive line can
help you out. Can you talk about the performance of
Tyreak Sapp?
SHEMAR JAMES: Sapp, my guy Sapp, he played like
somebody with their hair on fire. He brings that energy,
whether in practice, walk throughs or in the game. I
appreciate each of the defensive linemen in front of me.
Q. What did you think of D.J.’s ability to come back
from injury so quickly and perform the way he did?
SHEMAR JAMES: D.J., he’s a dude, for sure. He showed
grit tonight. Like you said, coming back from injury
probably a week or two early, and he came out and made
pretty good throws and commanded the offense and that’s
what we were kind of missing, I would say, and we’re very
fortunate to have D.J. on our team.
Q. Pretty good throws?
SHEMAR JAMES: I don’t want to give him too much
credit, (laughter).
Q. Trying to keep him humble?
SHEMAR JAMES: Keep him grounded a little bit.
Q. Did you see the one he made to Badger where he
stepped up in the pocket, the one where he stepped in
the pocket, set up the touchdown to Ja’Kobi to put you
guys ahead for good?
SHEMAR JAMES: I seen it.
Q. What you did you think of his cool presence there?
SHEMAR JAMES: He’s just calm under pressure. That
speaks a lot considering he’s a freshman. He’s got two or
three more years to go in college. I’m excited to see him
grow.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
University of Florida Football
Media Conference
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Gainesville, Florida, USA
DJ Lagway
Press Conference
Florida – 27, LSU – 16
Q. What was the week like? When did you know you
were ready?
DJ LAGWAY: The week, there was a lot of stuff going on
this week just preparing my body, making sure my body
was 100 percent, or just feeling good enough to go out
there and play, and also having to prepare on the mental
side of it. So it was definitely a challenging week.
But kudos to my coaches and the medical team, they’ve
helped me so much. They’re the best in the country. I can
say that because they helped me get back up to speed as
fast as possible.
Q. Coach said you came in and said “I’m playing this
week.”
DJ LAGWAY: Oh, yeah.
Q. What was that conversation like? Was there one
where you just make a statement?
DJ LAGWAY: I just made a statement. I’ve got to get out
there and play for my guys. I feel like they rallied around
me very well. I feel like they play well around me, and I’m
just thank thankful to have a great support cast.
The offensive line played their butt off. We had no sacks.
And I was limited today. So it was kudos to those guys.
Receivers making heck of a play. Tight ends making
plays. Tight ends blocking. Running backs making heck of
runs, and it was a great offensive effort. And even defense
played well. Special teams too. All around great win.
Q. The throw to Elijhah, set up the go-ahead score to
Ja’Kobi, could you break that play down, feeling some
pressure. Looked like you were walking a little
gingerly at this point in the game, step up and make
that throw.
DJ LAGWAY: Just somebody gotta make the play. And
why not me? That’s my thought process. Always want to
be a game-changer, want to change the game. When the
big plays arrive, I’ve got to make the play. That’s what
Coach Napier recruited me for. Blessed to have the
opportunity to make the play.
Q. Did they limit the playbook because of the injury for
you? Did they just take some plays out, kind of keep it
simple for you? And secondly, did you have a play in
this game, a pass, that you thought, yeah, it’s there, it’s
there for me?
DJ LAGWAY: Yeah, just I feel like Coach Napier and the
offensive staff did an amazing job of game planning, just
my strengths and weaknesses for this week.
I feel like this week taught me a lot, just learning how to
truly play in the pocket and maneuver and trust in the O
line and trust in all the guys around me. It was a great
week. I’m excited for it.
Q. How would you assess just your comfort level
within the offense, maybe from when the start of the
season was to now that you’ve got a few starts under
your belt and where are some areas you can improve,
do you think?
DJ LAGWAY: My confidence level in this offense has
jumped up tremendously. Having Coach Napier and
Coach O’Hara and Graham Mertz helping me in different
situations, and I feel like that’s one part of my game that I
want to develop and continue to get better, being a
situational expert, as Coach Napier would say. That’s
something I continue to work on daily.
Q. What was it like getting injured, the moment where
you had to get carted off and just realizing that you
might miss the Texas game, which I know meant a lot
to you?
DJ LAGWAY: That moment was definitely eye opening. It
was definitely an experience that I won’t forget because I
feel like we were having great momentum in that game,
and I feel like my teammates, they rallied behind me.
When they all came up to me on the car, that meant a lot to
me. It showed how much my guys love me and I love them
and that’s definitely a moment I won’t forget.
Q. What were you saying when you were getting
carted off the field?
DJ LAGWAY: I remember. I can’t say it, though.
Q. Seemed like you said something like you were
playing next week?
DJ LAGWAY: I was talking (indiscernible)– I can’t say
much.
Q. Before the Texas game when you went through
pregame, did you feel like you could go, what was that
like?
DJ LAGWAY: In the Texas game, I feel like that whole
week I was very ginger on the leg. I didn’t really practice,
didn’t do no team reps. Saturday, that was the best it’s felt.
I felt like I could move around a little better but I wasn’t
game-ready. I trusted in Coach Napier and the training
staff for making that decision, having to make that decision.
Q. On the touchdown or the throw right before the
touchdown to Ja’Kobi, I know you talked about it a
little bit, did you see something pre-snap, single out,
safety up, that made you confident it would be there?
DJ LAGWAY: Yes, most definitely. That play, I thought I
was getting cat pressure, like a quarterback blitz. They
ended up dropping out. I knew I had that area. I could
have hit Chim on that finger route, like a sail route, but I got
to Badge and he made a heck of a catch. O line protected
well. It was great.
Q. Your social media reaction when the news came
out that Billy was going to come back for another year,
what that meant to you and what do you think it means
to the team in terms of that vote of confidence?
DJ LAGWAY: Means a lot, being the second year in
offense is huge. Just having the guys rally behind that and
truly like we’re going to change this. And that’s the whole
vibe in the locker room, that we’re going to change this
place and we’re going to make it what it used to be.
I feel like on a recruiting standpoint, I felt it was huge as
well. I had a lot of guys hit me up after they’ve seen that,
texting me, trying to see what’s going on. But yeah, it’s
great.
Q. With it being your first game back from injury, did
you feel like you were kind of hindered at all with your
ability to scramble or extend plays at all, and how were
you kind of able to make up for that if you weren’t
feeling like you totally were able to?
DJ LAGWAY: Yeah, I just feel like this game, I took it as a
challenge. I knew I wasn’t 100 percent healthy. I took it as
a challenge to prove to myself I could do it and play in the
pocket. And I don’t really need to use my legs. I could
maneuver in the pocket and make different throws. I feel it
was a huge confidence builder for me.
Q. Just two weeks ago being carted off the field.
Looked like it was a career-ending injury. Did you
perceive then that you would be back here standing
here now?
DJ LAGWAY: No, sir, I did not think I was going to be
standing here. By the grace of God I’m good. And I feel
like, like I said, the training staff were amazing. I really
couldn’t get up when I had that injury. I was really in pain.
I’m not the guy to lay on a field. Never do stuff like that.
My parents, they came out of the stands. They know the
type of guy I am. They were definitely worried about it.
But by the grace of God, I got back and got healthy, my
guys.
Q. Just how did you develop the release, the quick
release you have, and just the confidence? You don’t
seem to hold back. When you see something, you go.
DJ LAGWAY: Just my training. I’m recently new to the
quarterback. I just started training my sophomore year.
It’s a daily learning experience. That’s why I really chose
the Florida Gators because Coach Napier, here they
develop me every single day and I feel I’m trending up to
being a better quarterback.
My training. QB training with Tillman, training with him
before I could even throw a football. So it’s been great.
Q. How long does that go back?
DJ LAGWAY: Really, I’d say, going into my sophomore
year. So like ninth grade, around this time, in the ninth
grade season.
Q. I know you mentioned before how when it was
announced that Coach Napier would be sticking
around, you have recruits reaching out to you.
Obviously you were someone who continued to have
faith in this program throughout your whole recruiting
process, and I think the season validated that. When
you’ve been questioned about that by guys deciding to
go to Florida, how do you respond along those lines,
just like when, if you’re being asked about Florida and
about why it’s the place to be for college football, what
do you say in response to them?
DJ LAGWAY: My kind of response to that is we’ve got the
best fan base in the country. We’ve got coaches that care
and that’s going to develop you, make you a better player
and person on and off the field. So that’s kind of how I see
it.
Q. With the running backs, with Jadan and Ja’Kobi,
just talk about how the two of them have developed
throughout the season, how they’ve formed a nice 1-2
combo.
DJ LAGWAY: Those guys are great. I’ve seen what they
had since spring. So I feel like those guys have been
playing their butts off. Helped me tremendously to be able
to push the ball down the field, knowing the run game is
going hard.
Kudos to the O line. They’ve been playing amazing
football. So it’s been great.
Q. What percentage would you say you were at
tonight?
DJ LAGWAY: I’d say I was healthy enough to move
around the pocket, let’s say that. That’s all I can really say
about that.
Q. How much more do you expect to progress in the
weeks to come to get to 100 percent?
DJ LAGWAY: I feel today was a big step forward. I didn’t
have any setbacks. It was great. I felt good. I didn’t really
have anything grab up on me much. Because my O line,
they did a heck of a job, kept me in there kept me on the
edges, and even in front, it was great.
Q. I know you have chemistry with all of your guys at
receiver, but what’s that bond like with Elijhah Badger
especially down the field, how well do you feel you
guys have a connection?
DJ LAGWAY: We have an amazing connection. Like I
said, we’ve been working since the offseason, and I feel
like kudos to that, the hard work we’ve put in and the
summer workouts and the player-led workouts, and just
being able to trust my guys to go make the plays. I have
trust for all my receivers. I feel I have a bond and
chemistry with those guys to make plays.
Q. What makes him such a deep threat? I think after
today he’ll probably lead the country in yards per
catch.
DJ LAGWAY: The way he excels when the ball’s in the
area. I can just put it up there, he’ll go get it. Today was
the first time I’ve seen I’ve overthrown it and….
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
2024 Florida Football Postgame Quotes
Florida Student-Athletes
Florida 27, No. 21 LSU 16
November 16, 2024
6 Elijhah Badger, Senior Wide Receiver
On connecting on the deep ball…
“Just communication on the field. Just communication on the field and I’m pretty sure people told me
he moved in the pocket and threw it off one foot.”
On not being able to play last week…
“It was kind of tough. I just had to stay out another week to heal my body and get healthy. I just knew
I had to come back and do something for the team.”
On whether there was any doubt he’d be available this week…
“I was for sure playing this week.”
On his and Lagway’s return giving Florida a lift on offense…
“I think it just gave the whole team a lift and just confidence that we were coming back and we
knew we had a team that we could go in there and compete with.”
On whether there was doubt Lagway would play this week…
“He was going to play this week. Just how we talk on and off the field, he said he was going to play.”
On Lagway not being 100 percent…
“You don’t ever play football at 100 percent. Everybody is always banged up and you just have to
put it in your mind that you’re going to go out there.”
On what his performance this season has done for his own draft stock…
“Just coming into the SEC, I feel like I’ve shown a different type of skill from me like going to catch
deep balls and I feel like I’m doing good.”
On the home crowd…
“I haven’t been in an environment that’s been that loud before.”
On what the fan support means…
“It’s unbelievable. It gives the team confidence on the field. You can see us pumping up the crowd. I
feel like outside people, the crowd, helps for sure.”
On where this game ranks in his career…
“I’m just doing me out there. Just winning for the team.”
On whether this is one of his favorite games of his career…
“Yeah, yeah for sure. Just picking my teammates up on the sideline throughout the game, just highs
and downs keeping everybody’s confidence throughout the sideline even when it was 10-10 coming
out of halftime. I told everybody it was 0-0 and we needed to lock back in and come back out on
fire like we did in the first half.”
On the impact of Lagway not being able to run like usual…
“I think he still could do what he’s doing in the pocket. I don’t think he needs his legs at all to win the
game as you could see. He’s doing really well.”
On his message to recruits…
“This is a great environment and playing for a great quarterback. A great quarterback. Just a great
environment to play in. The Florida Gator environment.”
On his decision to play at Florida…
“I feel good about it, honestly. Just making the move from Arizona, the West Coast, I know I had to
make a change.”
On how much this win could help Florida through the end of the year…
“It just gives us more confidence going back to practice. Day contract like coach said. We take it
day-by-day.”
On the mood in the locker room…
“Everybody was out there turnt. Everybody was lit. Dancing. Music. Everybody knows we got to go
back to work.”
On whether he thought the fans would storm the field:
“Nah. They might and then they put the little sign up and they said no storming the field so I knew
they weren’t going to do it.”
On inching closer to bowl eligibility:
“Not really keeping in mind the number six, just going to practice every day and taking it day-by-day
with what we normally have to do.”
2024 Florida Football Postgame Quotes
Brian Kelly, LSU Head Coach
Florida 27, No. 21 LSU 16
November 16, 2024
Opening statement…
“Obviously very disappointing, not able to do enough things to win this football game. Ineffective
offensively in terms of too many negative plays and the inability to finish off drives. That in itself is
what’s apparently part of our problem and the explosives on defense. Giving up explosives on
defense and negative plays on offense… When you’re playing in this league in the SEC where it’s a
razor-thin margin for victory and defeat, if you don’t have a clean performance in that sense you’re
going to struggle and we’re in that phase, unfortunately. We’re struggling right now in terms of
execution, consistency. I thought we found a way to run the ball much more effectively today, but
again you have to finish off drives. I don’t know what the time of possession was but it was ridiculous. I
think first downs were almost 2-1 in terms of first downs but, that doesn’t win you games. You have to
score points and our inability to score touchdowns and score points continue to crop up. As
coaches, we have to take responsibility and players have to own their end of it. We are in the
situation we are in because we are largely not effective enough in those two areas: negative plays
on offense and not finishing drives and defensively, giving up the explosive plays. So, that’s kind of
where we’re at right now. Our team has to make a decision on how to move forward and we’ve
talked about it, pretty confident they know what needs to happen in terms of their mindset and
again, we keep working on the deficiencies in which I highlighted.”
On his involvement on play calling tonight…
“Well, when things don’t go well the head coach has got to be involved and that’s not to say that I
don’t have full faith and trust in my staff… I do, but the buck stops with me. When we lose a game, I
have to be able to look at the reasons why. Quite frankly, I feel as though in my background and
how I was developed as a coach, I feel like it’s ‘get involved,’ so yes I’ve been more involved in
everything we’ve been doing.”
On his concern over the amount of sacks…
“Look, some of it obviously we’re concerned to the point where we want to keep our quarterback
clean. But we have to look at it in its entirety. Did the ball come out when it needed to? Did we
protect the way we needed to? So, anytime the quarterback gets knocked down everybody is
going to have to look at what did we do and what can we do better.”
On if he’s ever been in a game where they dominated everything except touchdowns…
“No, this was unique, but we know the reasons. It’s the inability. We can’t keep taking points off the
board. We had a silly mistake on a touchdown and we’re better than that. Drives have to be
converted, you can’t just continue to move the ball up and down the field and not convert into
points. They don’t give you a pat on the back because you had the ball longer and they had first
downs. That is in a large degree making sure that everybody is doing their job and that’s why I have
to be more involved in what’s going on. I have to be able to figure out how we can help our players
get through this, this is a rough spot for them and we have to help them. As coaches that’s what we
have to do.”
On why they can’t finish off drives…
“If you look at each drive, we had some negative plays leading up to the actual third down and we
had a touchdown taken off the board that had to be turned into a field goal. It’s a myriad of
different things, but at the end of the day a lot of that is you have to have players that make plays in
that area od the field and that means everybody. From the quarterback to the left tackle to the
wide receiver and we haven’t made enough plays down in that area.”
On how to reinforce picking team morale back up…
“This is a simple exercise of do you want to fight or not? Do you want to fight and take responsibility
as coaches and players that we’re not playing well and we’re struggling right now? Its life, it’s a
myriad of things but it’s a reflection of what life is about. There’s a rough spot here that we have to
fight through and we have to do it together. So, if you’re not a thumb player and you’re not
someone that’s saying I’m going to work and continue to work to be better, then we don’t have a
place for you in the last couple of weeks. But if you want to fight and you want to fight to be better
then we’re going to be alongside of you. At the end of the day its about overcoming adversity and
fighting through these last two games at home that we desperately want to win.”
On if this helps figure out the mindset of the players …
“Its going to point out those that are not fighters. We’re going to put guys on the field that are going
to fight and do everything they can do to correct where we are right now and that is struggling with
consistent execution. I’ve put it out a number of times negative plays, inability to finish off drives in the
endzone and then the explosive plays on defense. They’re pretty consistent now, I think we’ve seen it
enough to know what clearly, we have to be better at as coaches and players.”
2024 Florida Football Postgame Quotes
LSU Student-Athletes
Florida 27, No. 21 LSU 16
November 16, 2024
50 Emory Jones Jr., Junior Offensive Lineman
On continuing to push forward…
“There’s a lot of guys in this locker room who want to fight for LSU. Like I said earlier in the week, we’ve
got a lot to play for. We’re gonna go, come back in Monday and watch the film, flush it, Tuesday
come back and get to work.”
On why there was so many sacks in the game…
“I think we just had breakdowns later in their rush. They got toward the quarterback so I just feel like
we need to do a better job at finishing our block.”
On LSU dominating the game in everything but scoring touchdowns…
“That’s something we’ve got to work on. Finishing drives and getting the ball in the red zone…”
On what has gone wrong since halftime at the Texas A&M game…
“I’m just a player. Whatever the coaches call, whatever they got us doing, I’m going to do it to the
best of my ability.”
On LSU’ run game against Florida…
“It wasn’t enough. We’ve got to come back next week and try to do the same thing and pick up a
win. Maybe then we’ll feel better about it.”
On though process during the fumble play…
“It was third down, third and long. I saw the ball on the ground so I thought I’d pick it up and run and
try to get as many yards as I can. Unfortunately, I fumbled that ball. I didn’t have good ball security
and it affected the game heavily. I have to take that one.”
40 Whit Weeks, Sophomore Linebacker
On what he saw from Florida’s offensive line…
“They were a good offensive line. They were big, strong and physical.”
His thoughts on explosive plays…
“We were in spots to make plays and we didn’t make them. Poor execution on our part; the coaches
put us in a good spot to be successful and it’s on the players. It’s nothing on Coach Baker or Coach
Kelly, none of them, it’s all on us. They put us in a position to make plays all the time. We didn’t
execute.”
On what happened with Florida’s final touchdown…
“Miscommunication. Half of us thought we were running one play, half of us thought we were running
a different play.”
Chalking up their missteps…
“Explosive plays. We have to limit explosive plays. It’s been our Achilles’ heel pretty much all year
long.”
On if he was surprised Lagway didn’t run the ball…
“Not really surprising after what happened two weeks ago. I mean, he’s probably on one leg all
night. He wasn’t planning on scrambling, and we figured he wasn’t going to scramble.”
On his leadership after the loss…
“You got to keep the guys together. Coach Kelly said it best; he said now you’re going to find out
who’s fighters and who’s quitters. So, we’ll see on Monday who comes in ready to fight and who
doesn’t.”
