The Florida Gators fell to 2-4 (1-2 SEC) on the 2025 season after a 34-17 loss to No.5 Texas A&M in week seven. Billy Napier now holds a 21-23 (11-16 SEC) record in his 4th season at UF.
Gator Country provides five early takeaways from the contest.
A game won in the trenches
College football is more often than not a game that’s won in the trenches. That was certainly the case on Saturday night in College Station as the Aggies pushed Florida’s offense and defensive line back a majority of the game.
Florida’s pass push was nonexistent; the Gators had zero sacks and one QB hurry all game. This led to an efficient performance from Marcel Reed, who completed 16 of 26 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown.
The Gators also allowed 187 rushing yards and didn’t record a single tackle for loss. Even when it didn’t seem like the Aggies had much going in the running game, their offensive line pushed the pile forward for a few yards each time. On the Aggies last touchdown drive, Texas A&M ran the ball 11 times in 12 plays. Only one of them went for more than four yards, but Florida still allowed four first downs and a touchdown. It was a slow, but painful death.
Offensively, Florida struggled to provide sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway a clean pocket, especially in the second half. The Aggies had three sacks and six tackles for loss in the contest.
Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell tormented Florida’s left tackle Austin Barber, who arguably had the worst game of his career. Howell is a terrific player and currently leads college football in sacks with eight, but the effort on the left side of Florida’s offensive line was shockingly poor. It got so bad that Florida had to have tight end Hayden Hansen line up with Barber so they could double team Howell. That works in theory, but the reality is it’s another player the Texas A&M secondary doesn’t have to defend.
Florida running back Jadan Baugh managed just 68 yards on 18 carries, an average of 3.6 yards per carry. More times than not it seemed as if every time Baugh got the ball he was running into the back of one of his offensive linemen. The Gators’ offensive line didn’t create much running room for their star player.
Questionable coaching decisions and play calls
We will start with one that I think is legitimately debatable. Florida decided to go for it on 4th and six at the TAMU 49-yard line, down seven points with roughly 13 minutes left. You can’t really rely on analytics here to support either side of the argument. It falls under the neutral bubble, in my opinion. However, I think context of the game is important. Florida defense had allowed just three first downs, all of which on one series, on four drives in the second half. Going for it there is an incredibly risky play. The counter argument would be Florida’s offense was struggling to pass midfield, and that might have been their best opportunity to score. I wasn’t upset with the 4th down decision; you have to take risks to beat a No.5 team on the road. The issue was with the play before, when Napier decided to run on 3rd and six, ideally to set up a more favorable 4th down. You would only run on 3rd and six if you planned on going for it on 4th down in a more favorable situation. Expect the situation wasn’t more favorable because Florida gained zero yards on the third down run. So if you were going to go for it on 4th and six regardless, why wouldn’t you have simply passed the ball on 3rd down?
The other issue I have with going for it: Napier had a very similar sequence earlier in the game and he chose to kick the field goal instead of going for it. Down 10 points, Napier called a run on 3rd and eight. Again, you only do that if you plan on going for it on 4th down in a more favorable position. The play actually worked too. Baugh got the Gators in a 4th and 2 from the 27-yard line after a six-yard rush, but the Gators kicked the field goal to make it a one score game. Given how Florida’s offense had played since the first quarter, I thought that was a prime opportunity to put seven on the board. But instead, Florida wanted to make the field goal a little easier for their kicker who hasn’t missed since week one and has the leg for 55+ yards.
1-11 on third down
The Gators were 1-11 on third down. Mike Elko’s squad has a terrific third down defense; the 5th best entering week seven. However, some of the play calls didn’t even give Florida a chance at converting. Many of which were screen passes that either went for negative yards or fell incomplete. It seemed as if Florida was playing to make this a one score game in the fourth quarter as opposed to trying to win the game. The Gators didn’t run the ball well which created way too many third and longs.
Florida’s defense settled down
The Gators’ defense got off to a horrific start, allowing a touchdown on Texas A&M’s first three possessions. However, they settled down in the second half and gave Florida’s offense multiple chances to get back into the game. The Aggies’ offense was only on the field for nine snaps in their first three series to start the second half, scoring three points directly after a Florida fumble. On their fourth drive, they got an interception in the red zone.
Florida is already out of playoff contention. It’s time for a change.
For many people, including myself, the expectation in year four under Billy Napier was a playoff berth. The Gators are not only not going to make the playoffs, but they are out of contention by week seven with half the season still to play. The NCAA committee has never put a three-loss team in the playoffs, and while they may have this season, they certainly won’t put a four-loss team in, even one with Florida’s schedule. The Gators could win-out and still end up playing in a meaningless bowl game. This is where we are at in year four.