OXFORD, Miss. — When DJ Lagway entered the media room after Saturday’s 34-24 loss at No. 6 Ole Miss, the quarterback looked dejected.
A gray Gators beanie was pulled almost down to his eyebrows, and Lagway, who completed 16 of 31 with one touchdown and one interception, shrank in his chair, staring at the floor as linebacker Myles Graham took the majority of the questions.
Even when Lagway was asked, he murmured his responses in a monotone voice, staring at the bricks on the back of the wall. For much of the game, Florida (3-7, 2-5 SEC) had been on top, but the fourth-quarter comeback by the Rebels (10-1, 6-1) seemed to zap all the energy from the sophomore, leaving only dejection and disappointment.
Florida’s loss was bigger than this game. Lagway and the Gators had set their eyes on a bowl appearance — not anything like their College Football Playoff dreams they entered the season with, but a small token for getting through a coach-firing as smoothly as possible. Instead, the team lost three games — two of which came from letting a lead slip in the fourth quarter — and ruined any chance for a bowl appearance.
Florida QB1, who fought back from injuries at the start of the season and finally started to resemble the five-star recruit the Gators had brought in, looked tired.
“Six, seven months ago, wasn’t even playing football, so I’m happy to be out there and get the chance to play,” Lagway said, his eyes barely leaving the wall in the back of the room. “It’s hard when you don’t have success, though. That’s what you play the game for.”
For better or worse, Lagway played the same way he has the entire season: taking risks deep in the field. His passes found their targets for most of the game, and the quarterback ended his night with 218 yards, including a 57-yard completion to receiver J. Michael Sturdivant.
Coach Billy Gonzales ripped off the bubble wrap surrounding Lagway without any concerns for his health, and the quarterback responded by rushing for 36 yards, the second-most behind running back Jadan Baugh. He also recorded his first career touchdown when he put the Gators ahead, 10-7.
With Lagway mobile, the Gators’ offense added another weapon to its arsenal. And it paid off in the three quarters, Florida leading 24-20. Good teams, however, adapt. Ole Miss figured out a way to shut down the Gators’ offense, and Florida didn’t respond.Lagway’s woes culminated in the fourth-quarter interception by senior safety Wydett Williams Jr. after outside linebacker Suntarine Perkins tipped the ball.“I scrambled out, had Aiden [Mizell], he beat his defender. The guy in front of him just made a good play and tipped it,” Lagway sighed, struggling to find his words. “And at the end of the day, it’s just that we got to keep going.”Florida’s offensive woes aren’t new by any means, but Lagway’s dreary reaction to them is. Most times, the sophomore has backed his words with gumption, trying to re-energize the team and fanbase.But Lagway’s voice was meek and dull Saturday night as he went through the same talking points he normally would: this isn’t what the team wanted to do, and the path to improvement starts with himself. The spark the quarterback normally had burned out.“We didn’t come out with a W,” he said. “This has just been emotionally draining this whole year, to be honest, since all the way back in January.”