The Gators struck first against Texas on Saturday to set the momentum and make a statement and a key player in that opening drive was sophomore running Jadan Baugh, who balled out in a huge way. In the opening drive alone, he carried the ball eight times for 39 yards, including the five-yard rushing touchdown that put the Gators on the board first and gave them a lead they never looked back on. That touchdown carry marked his 1,000th career rushing yard.
Baugh went on to accumulate a total 66 rushing yards on 13 carries in a huge first half performance that led Florida to lead the Longhorns 19-7 at the half.
The 6’1” 231lb sophomore from Georgia went on to accumulate 27 total carries for 107 yards rushing. He averaged 4.0 yards per carry and his longest run of the day was a 16 yard run.
He was also effective on the receiving end as he had three receptions for 16 receiving yards. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry and his longest was a 10 yard carry.
Jadan Baugh Massive Early For Gators
Billy Napier spoke after the game on Baugh’s performance and joked, “I’m gonna give him a sponge bath tomorrow."
"You got a player like that, you gotta give him his opportunities,” stated Napier. “That’s our formula, when we’re playing at our best, the guys up front - they’re ready to go, they’re mixing it up, we’re able to be physical, and there’s a cumulative effect to that and we feed off of that. He’s a marquee back and he deserves a number of carries each week,” said Napier.
DJ Lagway also touched on Slaughter’s performance, calling him a ‘heck of a performer.’
“My offensive line played their butts off!” Exclaimed Lagway. “I’m grateful for such a great group of guys and their leader, Jake Slaughter, he’s an awesome, heck of a player and I’m just thankful to have a guy like him lead the group and just to see those guys battle for me means the world to me,” Lagway said of his front line that led the way for a Gators win on Saturday.
Over the full course of the season, Baugh now has 49 carries for 289 yards, two touchdowns, and has averaged 5.9 yards per carry. His longest carry of the year was 26 yards. In the receiving column, Baugh has a total of 10 receptions for 68 yards, averaging 6.8 yards per carry, with his longest a 25-yard reception.
Baugh will look to stay hot and keep his momentum going into next week when the Gators hit the road to take on Texas A&M.