Texas A&M Aggies vs. Florida Gators Pick & Prediction SEPTEMBER 14th 2024

Preview and Prediction

The upcoming Saturday afternoon will mark the seventh encounter between Texas A&M and Florida, as they kick off their Southeastern Conference play in Gainesville, Florida.

There are a few resemblances between the two teams, who last faced off in 2022 when Florida traveled to College Station and emerged victorious with a 41-24 score, outscoring the Aggies 21-0 in the second half.

Both squads currently hold a 1-1 record after losing their opening games against ranked opponents. However, they both bounced back with dominant wins over weaker FCS opponents on Saturday. Texas A&M crushed McNeese 52-10, while Florida did the same against Samford with a 45-7 score.

Despite their similar results, the teams achieved their blowout victories in different ways. The Aggies relied on their ground game, racking up 333 rushing yards on just 38 carries, while the Gators' true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway threw for 456 yards and three touchdowns.

With starting quarterback Graham Mertz out due to a concussion in the Gators' 41-17 loss to Miami in Week 1, Lagway stepped up in his first college start. This has led to a question for coach Billy Napier: Who will be the starting quarterback against the Aggies?

"That's where the gamesmanship is," said Napier on Monday, refusing to reveal his decision. "I don't want to give away our playbook. Ultimately, (DJ) is one of our top players and we will give him the opportunity to make an impact and contribute to the team. That is our intention."

Lagway, a native of Willis, Texas, broke Chris Leak's 2003 record for single-game passing yards by a freshman. He completed 18 of 25 passes and averaged 18.2 yards per attempt.

"Both of these players can elevate our team," Napier stated.

Prior to taking the head coaching job at Duke in 2022, Texas A&M's first-year coach Mike Elko served as the defensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher from 2018-21.

"You come up with a plan on how you want to handle both quarterbacks," Elko said regarding the Mertz/Lagway situation. "You have to prepare as if both of them will play the entire game. However, you can't have two different game plans because it can overwhelm the players with too much information."

The series between these two teams began in 1962 and includes the 1977 Sun Bowl. They have split their six meetings thus far.

PREDICTION

Texas A&M Aggies

Florida Gators