Slow claps for Billy Napier cause he managed to pull the Gators out of a disastrous season. Yeah, the team had 5 losses in the regular season but this was done on a schedule ranked 8th in the entire country. What’s left now? Yeah, only a Bowl game win. See, it’s been 5 years since the Gators got their last Bowl game win during the Orange Bowl against Virginia. Now as Billy Napier and his ragtag squad take the gridiron against Tulane, the Gators have a shot at breaking the cycle. But can they do it? Yes, Napier and his boys have indeed managed to impress us with that massive win against Ole Miss, but will DJ Lagway‘s sudden explosive growth as the new starting quarterback be enough to get Florida the Gasparilla Bowl win?

Let’s talk about it cause CFB Focus back on X raises a very important point. “This one is pretty simple — if Thompson shows he can be a passing threat, Tulane has a really good at pulling the upset,” CFB Focus mentioned. See, Tulane is going into this game after losing their starting QB, Darian Mensah, to the transfer portal. However, do not let that make you think that the Green Wave cannot pull a massive W out of nowhere. While Ty Thompson has only managed to rack up 74 yards with 2 touchdowns, he is still a massive and powerful runner.

This, paired with the fact that RB Makai Hughes is in the game, makes it a very dangerous pairing. Hughes has gone over 1300 yards and pulled 15 touchdowns for the Green Wave. This, paired with his 257 carries, makes him an amazing offensive threat to the Gators’ defense.

And in the entire country, Tulane’s offense in terms of rushing yards is ranked in the 17th spot. Now, coming down to the defense, it can paint an even worse picture. See, with the RB depth covering up for the loss of their main QB, the defense had to step up.

Now, this is on the D-line that has a massive asset in DL Patrick Jenkins. 14 solo tackles along with 4.5 sacks. He is strong and unmovable at times and for Florida’s offense, this will be a problem. Still, we cannot underestimate Napier and his boys. If they manage to win against a good enough Ole Miss team with such ease, then they could nail this Tulane game as well. But how?

DJ Lagway will once again be the key

Top Comment by Harpreet Nagi

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It’s kind of amazing how we watched his guy climb from number 5 to number 3 to the number 1 spot in terms of carrying the Gators’ offense. Many Gators fans could agree that QB Graham Mertz going out because of the season-ending injury was pretty much a blessing in disguise for Billy Napier.

Not only has Lagway managed to win 4 out of the 5 games he has started in, but despite that injury during the Georgia game, he still is ranked 2nd in the entire country with 10.3 yards per attempt. He loves his deep throws, and boy, oh boy, does he nail them.

This, paired with the fact that the running attack is being covered by Jadan Baugh and Elijhah Badger, means the Tulane defense is going to have a hard time. Also, how can we miss out on the Gators’ defense?

Somehow, this shaky team managed to keep all of its last 3 opposing teams to a 17-point average. This is a Big W because the Gators faced off against LSU and the Rebels (who were also coming off of a win against a strong Bulldogs team).

This is going to be one fun game, and we hope y’all don’t miss it. Napier, make the fans proud.