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Two truths and a lie for Florida Football following upset win over LSU

Florida beat LSU and is now 5-5 on the season

By Benjamin Henderson

Nov 16, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) calls a play against the LSU Tigers during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) calls a play against the LSU Tigers during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
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Despite entering The Swamp as four-point underdogs, Florida Football pulled off the upset over LSU en route to a 27-16 victory to move to 5-5 on the season.

With just two games left in the regular season, here are two truths and a lie about the Gators heading into this week's contest against Ole Miss.

Truth: Tyreak Sapp has had a great season

The defensive line was a massive question mark for the Gators coming into the 2024 season, and those fears were confirmed when Florida got run over by Miami to open the season.

But one player we noted in the wake of that game who wasn't the problem on defense was Tyreak Sapp. After taking just 21 snaps against the Hurricanes, Sapp has seen an uptick in snaps and had a career-high 44 snaps on Saturday against LSU.

Sapp was credited with two hurries and one sack to go with eight total tackles against the Tigers.

Truth: Elijhah Badger might be the offensive MVP

Speaking of the Miami game, it is humorous to look back and remember that Billy Napier was insistent that Elijhah Badger didn't outright win the starting job over Kahleil Jackson.

But as much as DJ Lagway is the headliner for this Gator squad right now, Badger might be the legit glue that enables Lagway to be unlocked.

Badger has 691 yards receiving off of just 30 catches. The crazy thing is that it is a complete flip in metrics compared to the type of player we thought we were getting from Arizona State, where his ADOT (Average Depth of Target) was in line with Eugene Wilson.

In the three games that Lagway has started and finished, Badger has had games of 123, 148, and 131 yards receiving.

If Badger maintains that pace for the next two games, Florida makes a bowl, and Badger plays in that too, he would become the elusive 1,000-yard receiver Florida has been searching for over the past 20 years.

Lie: DJ Lagway is a finished product

Lagway's final stat line of 13/26 passing was largely glossed over because when he did complete a pass, it was for an average of 17 yards. On the season, Lagway is now 16/24 passing on attempts over 20 yards. That is the best completion percentage in the country on passes over 20 yards by over 11% over the second-best deep thrower (Dillon Gabriel).

Intermediate passing, however, has been an issue, and Lagway is just 13/36 on passes between 10-19 yards.

Against LSU, Lagway was 3/4 on attempts over 20 yards but was just 4/12 on passes between 10-19 yards.

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