the Florida Gator opening loss to the Miami Hurricanes was a tough one for Gator fans there were high expectations on and off the field but the gator struggled with consistency on both sides of the ball leaving fans frustrated and Confused the Lost spark discussions among fans and analysts about the team's performance coaching decisions and what changes may be necessary moving forward after the loss of starting quarterback Graham Merz to a concussion Gator fans caught a glimpse into the DJ lagway era we'll talk about that and more as Gator game day starts right now [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] welcome to Gator game day we're coming to you live from wymer Hall the College of Journalism and Communications right next to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville Florida we're going to talk about all things Gator football ahead of their matchup against the Stamford Bulldogs I'm your host Scarlet Cooney I'm joined by my co-hosts maniel ler and Jade me Goldman and we are so excited to be back here with you guys this weekend for another amazing show of Gator G game day our student run pregame show now it's no secret that last weekend didn't exactly go the way the Gators wanted their 41 to7 loss to Miami was a huge shock and disappointment to players and fans alike snapping a 35-year home opener win streak yeah I mean when you put it like that it's pretty ugly right I mean there's no way to really Su your coat that one but I mean the great thing about college football is we're here again we get another shot that was only one game we the Gators can kind of put that game behind them and and move forward they get an opponent here in Sanford that it's a winnable game and it's a game that the the the fans and the kind of Gator Nation kind of expects to come in and win and and I I can't wait for it yeah I think the biggest thing about this game is that was your season opener you know you're playing at home Gator fans came in packed the stadium sold out crowd that was so such that was going to be such a big factor in that game but it didn't play out that way fans were leaving the stadium early Miami kind of steamrolled everything they kind of walked into your swamp and took over your swamp but they a chance to bounce back today and that's what the gator is going to have to look to do yeah I have never seen so many fans leave so early after halftime especially in a season opener but at the head of this team is head coach Billy Napier let's see what he had to say about his team's performance last weekend I mean it's embarrassing to be quite honest with you you know that's how I feel that's how our kids feel um we've got a decision to make you know I mean I think we have um it's what I just told them you know there's no excuses keep our mouth shut show up and work and um we have to do better so the main takeaway there is obviously embarrassing I mean it doesn't help that he can't seem to get his water bottle open either but guys break down for me what was so embarrassing about last weekend's loss which loss are you referring to the one against the water bottle or the one against Miami see what you did there tell me about Miami though yeah I mean it was it was an ugly loss against Miami um I mean you kind of look at the stats in that game only 20 161 yards of total offense one for n on third downs and you you think about those those those offensive stats they had 71 yards on one rushing play by Montell Johnson kind of fluky he got out wide and got loose but if you take that play away they the gator only had less than 200 yards of total offense that is not a way to to to equate winning football and it and obviously we saw that last week yeah I don't think it's winning football at all especially the third downs one for nine just not what you want to see and I think one of the biggest things also was that the expect for this game were so high you know Billy Napier had so much confidence given the tough schedule that they had that they were facing but Gator fans were looking to push into this game kind of take over things but Miami rolled in they kind of put up 41 points Ken Ward Put on his show the recruits are throwing up to you after the game not what you want to see but the Gators have a chance to bounce back yeah I mean you saw the offensive line kind of struggle last week you kind of mentioned cam ward he had time to make a sandwich before he threw passes there in the pocket he was you know he was all over the field he was running he was passing um he made the Gators kind of look silly so I mean this week is is a great chance for the Gators to kind of hit the reset kind of recalibrate everything go out there and and you know it it's almost like a four quarter practice this week um going against a team like Samford they're kind of a lower level team this is a game that the Gators expect to win and I can't wait to see what they can do out there yeah and I think a big thing that you point out too is that the offensive line for Miami was stouted where the Gators didn't really have that I mean cam Ward could drop back into the pocket go one one Mississippi to Mississippi he could count all the way to 10 Mississippi if he wanted to the guy had all the time in the world and the thing is playing a QB like Ken Ward who's that type of highman caliber player he went over he can also extend the play you know roll out to the pocket roll roll outside the pocket and make plays on his own yeah so now that we've broken down the offensive side of things look at let's look at the other side of the ball what happened on defense it kind of looked like the gator defense didn't even show up yeah I mean we're talking about position groups here we just kind of touched on the offensive line and that defensive line we kind of saw the same kind of problems just reversed um we kind of touched on the fact that cam WS had a lot of time to throw but the the Gators couldn't get any pressure going um they really couldn't get anything going on defense it was it it was it was it was a free practice for cam ward in Miami last week you know uh they came into our swamp and they took over our swamp you know it it was ugly it was very ugly um but I mean you know all practice they all week in practice they've been working on it and and hopefully we'll see it this week you know Improvement and I think the biggest thing is the D line you know you want to be able to put pressure on a guy like C you want to be able to hurry him up take him out of his own Rhythm but whenever you're not able to do that it's just a field day for him he's just out there playing Madden so that's basically what it turned into exactly I mean we bring in all these guys you know you got big Dez Watson there and you know he's so big but it's like he couldn't really move last week too well and then you know you bring in guys like Joey slackman all these transfers miles Graham and and we're so hyped up about it we're so excited and then and then the the result just didn't didn't pan out it it wasn't what we were looking for last week as Gator fans as Gator Nation and you know they're disappointed but but you know the there's still positivity you know it was only one game and and here's what kimay DK had to say after the game after the loss last week you know you prepare all all fall camp and then you know come out and um make mistakes uh and uh you know it doesn't feel good uh but I think the the only thing you can do is is is grow from here right you know um we have a lot of games left and I think that's kind of the mentality that we're taking you guys one of my favorite lyrics from song that goes perfectly with this situation is last night took a nail but tonight I bounced back and that's what the Gators are going to try and do tonight you know you took a loss against Miami yeah it was an ugly game yeah they put up 41 points on you the more I talk about it the more ugly it gets but the Gators have a chance to go against Sanford and really take control take back the swamp in this one yeah definitely and like I really like DK's positivity right after that game too I mean that press conference was right after the game last week right after you kind of got your head handed to you by Miami and then right after that game you you know he's in the press conference and he's saying okay listen you know that was an ugly game but we we're still together we still believe in ourselves we're still positive we're still moving forward and I really like that and I really think it's going to be huge for the rest of the team to kind of buy into that mindset to kind of agree with with what Chim DK had to say and move forward and another thing we're talking about t d I'm going to bring this up khil Jackson tore his ACL this week so I mean it's going to be big for that wide receiver group to kind of bounce back and and and you know it's next man up it's going to be team r DK it's going to be Trey Wilson those guys are going to have to make a bigger in Impact with the loss of Kalo Jackson yeah so hopefully for Gator fans that positivity will pay off tonight coming up on Gator game day we're going to break down everything about today's matchup including who will be starting at quarterback for the Gators and a deeper look at the Sanford Bulldogs we'll be right back [Music] [Music] wuft is greater good Florida's award-winning storytelling series about the people and places in our communities truly making a difference from Arts organizations to animal rescues life-saving services to educational resources and so much more greater good is made possible by program funders showcase properties of Central Florida and IQ fiber tune in Fridays at 8:30 p.m. and throughout the week more information at w.org [Music] greatergood welcome back to Gator game day we're getting closer to that 7:00 kickoff tonight and I have to tell you guys I am just itching for a night game in this WAP yeah it's going to be a great atmosphere you know it's a night game a Saturday night game in Gainesville Florida you know it's right there on University Avenue which that means tonight's game is actually the pregame for the game after the game if you know what I mean so tonight is going to be a great atmospheric situation for everybody in Gainesville yeah night game in the swamp what's better than that you can't beat it we're here on Gator game day right now we're right outside the College of Journalism and Communications we're doing Gator game day the gator way we're student run we're here we breathe this Gainesville air we're go to these Gainesville classes we're on the same campus as these as these players and and we're here and and I'm so happy to be here so now that we've broken down everything that went wrong with last weekend let's shift our Focus to tonight's matchup what does everyone need to know heading into tonight's game against the sford Bulldogs so I mean the Sanford Bulldogs are a team that has um they struggled last week they lost last week to to West Georgia but you know that that that's something that they can't take lightly especially being this Florida Gator team right now in a situation where this is one of the games on your schedule that you're expected to win I mean this is one that you can't take LLY you got to take them as if you're playing Alabama you know you got to prepare the same way yeah I think this is a reset game for the Gators but one thing about Sanford they have a great QB I mean the guy last week he had two TDS passing he had two TDS rushing the guy can play some football so the Gat are going to have to key in on him if they want to pick up this win yeah I mean the Stanford quarterback he led their team in rushing last weekend if you can believe it but I think the question on every Gator Fan's mind this week is who's going to be starting for quarterback for the Gators tonight well it is finally DJ lagway time in the swamp we heard it all summer long he's the guy you know number one recruit in the country we've been seeing the Gatorade commercials with the orange sweat rolling down his face I've been loving it but it's finally DJ lagway time it's finally time to see what he can actually do in the swamp he got a little touch of it last week you know when merch went down lagway came in in the second half but now it's his show he's starting tonight he's had all week to kind of prepare with the first unit and and I can't wait to see what lagway can do tonight yeah I think DJ lagway is going to be great for Gator fans to see you know he's a guy that they're been wanting to see come in and play you know he's been playing behind Mer but now it's his time to step in now it's his time to you know make his impact he can take advantage of the situation it's not a great situation you never want to see a player get injured but this is a chance for DJ lag to show what he can do for the Gators exactly and I think the one bright spot about Graham Merz going down with the concussion is DJ leway got to take a couple snaps in last weekend's game so at least tonight it won't be his first time on Steve's burio field he'll be a little bit more comfortable his first start but it's not the worst worst case scenario and speaking of preparation Gator offensive lineman Austin Barber had this to say about how the team is preparing for tonight's matchup I would say just I think just stay together through everything and I think that you know whatever happens we just stay together as a team and and don't let any distractions any noise you know take us away from what we've built over the past however many months that we've been working together and you know building towards this yeah I think the biggest takeaway from that interview is that you need to stay together as a team you need to lock in and kind of block out the outside noise that's going around cuz there's are a lot of questions going around the getter Nation right now after taking the Miami lot but as a team you need to keep that cohesiveness keep that you know competitive Spirit as a team and stay with one goal in mind one mindset and have that going into this game yeah I mean barbera's big message in that you know kind of s that uh soundbite we just saw was you know staying together staying together as a team keeping together and kind of blocking out the outside noise and I think that's going to be huge for the Gators because there's a lot of noise right now on this team surrounding this team surrounding Billy Napier you know the quarterback situation everything that's going on listen the media obviously always tries to spin things one way or the other but that's not what the Gators are focused on the Gators are focused on the Gators which is exactly what they should be doing right now and they kind of have this opportunity to kind of have a little little lipit test a little re-calibration game right now and I mean Austin Barber's pumping positivity Chay DK kind of did that as well and I think that's kind of the whole mindset of the team now okay they lost to Miami that game's behind that's that's in the past that happened last week we got 11 more games on this schedule it's a rough and tough schedule and we got to prepare and we got to keep moving forward you're absolutely right I mean I think the best thing for fans and players alike is that they need to reset you know clean slate you know you can reset the schedule you got some tougher games coming up as we all know so tonight's going to be a good reset for both fans and players but coming up next on Gator game day we're going to check in with the fans see what they're up to and what they think the key is to tonight's game R don't go anywhere we'll be right [Music] [Applause] [Music] back wake up wake up to the world to the Marvels the Mayhem the music wake up to the Wows the woes the Wonder wake up to the commotion to the beauty to the humanity to the Hope wake up every morning fully awake NPR Morning Edition tune in to your local station or download the NPR app hurricane season is here and now is the time to make a plan and know your Zone in the case of an evacuation have a plan to go to a hurricane Shelter Hotel or stay with a family or friends if you're order to evacuate you need to leave you can rebuild your home but you cannot rebuild your life this hurricane season know your Zone know your home learn more at Florida disaster.org [Music] welcome back to Gator game day we're so excited to be here with you this afternoon bringing you everything you need to know ahead of tonight's matchup between the Gators and the Bulldogs I'm having a blast how about you guys I'm having a great time I'm just itching to get to this kickoff at 700 p.m. to where the Gators are going to be live in the stadium you know the lights are going to be flashing with everybody jumping up and down I can't wait to see it yeah yeah I can already feel the energy around us right now building I can smell the grills I I can see the fans pouring in already I'm having a blast and I can't wait for tonight's game so one of the best things about Gator nation is of course the fans so it's time to to talk to some fans and see what they think the keys to tonight's game are I would have to say we got to start off with the offensive line it was an embarrassment against Miami like we could not run the ball we could we had no time to throw the ball um it was it just needs to get better I would say number two it's got to be the tackling game as well we just could not get we couldn't stop the run game like every time I thought we had a tackle they go for at least four more yards and then finally I think it's DJ lagway he's just got to show up today and he's got to he's got to prove that he is the quarterback of the future for this lovely School what's up guys I'm Jovin gou I'm been a UF F my whole life and we need DJ lagway DJ lagway and DJ lagway to win tonight let's go football thanks Luke and Jovin I mean as much as we were pumped up before how about that energy huh I mean I think the DJ lagway count was up to four there that was incredible from Jovin he just fired me up I loved what he had to say DJ lagu and how about at the let's go football that was incredible he's that he's he's that Gator guy that we need I love his energy I want him in the locker room firing up these guys and then you look at what Luke had to say I really like what he had to say about tackling because that's been a problem for the Gators in recent history we saw it last week against Miami I think it's going to be huge for the Gators to tackle so I want Luke on the field controlling the tackling and I want Jovin in the locker room firing these guys up before the game right droven brought the energy but Luke he brought the stats to you he said the old line needs to be better he said DJ lagway it's going to be a key fat during this game so that's something that the gator are going to have to key in on whenever they get ready to play in this game I mean I for one I'm just glad that they don't have to deal with the blinding heat we had last weekend there's nothing quite like a night game in this SW but the great thing about the gator nation is they show up in full force no matter what time of day it is so it's time to check in with mt blinderman and check on some Tailgators get it Matt what do you have out there well thank you very much for that my name is Matthew Blenderman and we're back with talking to Tailgators I'm joined here with Savannah Ellie Andrew Alberto and now how long have you guys been Florida Gator fans um I've been a Florida Gator fan since 2022 when I came here for my MBA uh ever since I was born my dad's a gator grade and he's up in the Hall of Fame here in the stadium yeah and now I see you guys have a rock and tailgate going on what's your favorite part about tailgating you got it the food food what's your favorite food uh H steak steak my favorite part about the tailgate is uh just all the community and the hype around the Gators yeah I love that too I can't lie now Florida's got a big game going on tonight against Stanford a Stanford a must-win game for the Gators how do we think going into this game what do you think pretty positively I think we might win this one pretty likely like not that good the other team's not that good so I agree I think it's a a must win for the Gators and I think we should pull it out do we have any score predictions a lot to a little Gators go Gators I like it sending it back to you guys wow looks like you guys are having a great time out there I always love tailgating my favorite thing about tailgating is just getting the people together getting the family out you know enjoying the atmosphere enjoying the energy in the air what do you guys like about tailgating you know I love just the energy as you just say you know bringing everybody together is kind of a community whenever it comes to football it's something that we can look forward to every year but something I love about tailgating it's a good nice corn hole game I mean I'd have to say my favorite tailgating memory is throwing the football with my dad that's where I get my passion for football so definitely throwing the football in the parking lot tossing around the pig skin playing some cornhole oh I'm I'm getting so excited just sitting here thinking about it I could smell the grill over there they're firing it up over there I need myself a burger I need myself one of those one of those toss what are those called the cornhole bag the cornhole bags bags bags bags man my my my main my brain just took a brain part like a good burger but man to me I like a nice rib on the grill ribs is crazy though at a tailgate that that's some high-end tailgating right there I mean usually I'm just hamburgers and hot dogs kind of guy um but yeah I mean I love I love the energy out here you know it's Gator football they got all day a tailgate today it's a 7 o'cl game I'm loving it I'm loving the energy right now yep we're getting closer and closer to that kickoff time so next on Gator game day we're going to compare both teams performances from week one and give you a player to watch we'll be right back [Music] when your organization or business partners with wuft as a corporate sponsor listeners understand your commitment to the community corporate sponsorship of WFT can support your business while supporting Regional reporting information at w.org sponsorship [Music] welcome back to to Gator game day our student run Gator Focus pregame show thank you so much for joining us for our second show it really means the world to us yeah although we are the students putting on this show we would like to say thank you to you guys because although we can do this thing out here on the line if you guys aren't watching with us then it doesn't really work that well yeah we're we're out we're out here at the College of Journalism and Communications and like pigy back and off what you guys just said this is impossible without the fans without you guys so we just want to have a big thank for you guys to tuning in today and tuning in to all of our Gator game days for the rest of the season every home game you can find us right here so we're getting closer and closer to kickoff but before we head inside benh Hill Griffin Stadium guys talk to me about how these two teams performances from last week stacked up against each other so listen it wasn't pretty for either team last week they both lost but even so Samford still had Florida beaten every major category not something you want to see if you're the Gators um one specific thing that they did better than the Gators last week was third down conversions they went six 15 on third down conversion that's 40% that's something that Florida really needs to work on in this game yeah you know we're talking about offensively you know our major bright spot for the Gators offensively was that 71 yard touchdown for Montreal Johnson Jr sford had a bright spot of their own their wide receiver Brennan Jenkins had a 68 yard touchdown so pretty similar there too yeah the guys on both sides are playing good football but I think the biggest thing that's going to come into this game it's a QB battle because on Stanford side they have a guy who has put up some stats last week he had two TDS rushing he had two TDS passing and he's going to have to go against DJ lagway this one and the gator QB Club yeah I mean listen uh DJ lagway is making her his first start that's the biggest story in today's game and DJ lagway you know he's coming into the swamp a great thing for DJ is listen the downside is merch got hurt last week but the good the only good thing that they can take from that is DJ lagway was working with the first team unit all week in practice this isn't something that happened was just sprung on him he's been working with the first team all week and I think that's a great for him to kind of prepare and get ready for this game so I know it's hard to pick just one but can you give the fans one player to watch for tonight's matchup so in tonight's matchup I mean I'm going to pick the guy that was the biggest bright bright spot in last week's game and that was Shamar James on the defensive side of the ball listen he brings the energy but he had a big pick in the in the first half of that game and that pick at that moment looked like it could have been a turning point in the game it was a moment where the Gators were trailing but it would looked like the Gators the kind of momentum was swinging got that interception so hopefully he can build off that this week and continue to make plays yeah I think he's going to be a big factor in this game because as you said that was a very big point in that game at that time against Miami it really looked like Ken Ward showed a little bit of sign of that he could bleed a little bit for a second there but Shamar James can play great he can make plays on the field as was shown last week so he could be a big key fat there IND the gator winning this game yeah I don't know about you guys but when Shamar James made that pick I was like oh my God oh my God we're going to win we're going to win we're back we're going to win got this go into the Natty so guys tell me what your predictions are heading into tonight's game listen I think this is going to be the recalibration game that that everyone's been talking about and I think the perfect way to do that it's going to be a flip of last week's score the Gator's going to beat Sanford 41- 17 you heard it here first you know you're a real positive guy my friend and that's what I like about you but not so fast my friend because whenever I look at how this recipe is cooking up for the week for the Gators of football I see a QB was lost last week you know and then your offensive line is struggling your defensive line is struggling and on top of that DJ lagway is happen to step into this game playing behind that offensive line and then I look at sford and I say that guy over there playing QB he's playing some great football I say Sanford they're stepping into this game after coming off a loss so they're hungry Sanford doesn't usually play in front of 93,000 people they don't see about to say what I think say they don't see firewoods popping from the Jumbo Tron they don't see you know planes flying over the field before the game so sford has nothing to lose Florida has everything to lose in this one and that's why I'm going to say this give me sford 24 to 20 to win this ball game and the absolute Slugger of a game no way you know I'm ever the pessimist I think I'm rubbing off on Manel over here you know I don't make predictions my DOT will Heckle me too much and I know he's watching I know but I'm hoping and praying that the Gators will pull off the wind today and we will see it tonight but thank you guys so much for joining us today on Gator game day as we broke down Florida's matchup against Sanford kicking off very soon don't forget to catch us live on YouTube before every home game and make sure you give us a follow on our social media accounts to the sports at CJC we hope everyone enjoys tonight's game and go [Music] Gators Gator game day is presented in part by Pepsi Pepsi the official soft drink of the University of Florida and by the College of Journalism and communication at the University of Florida we are communicators