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Former Florida coach Steve Spurrier reacts to LSU loss, performance of DJ Lagway

IMG_6615by: Blake Alderman4 hours agoBlake_Alderman
steve spurrier (1)
Alan Youngblood /Ocala Star-Banner / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Florida Gators fell to 1-2 on the season last weekend, dropping a 20-10 contest against the No. 3-ranked LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge. Florida once again struggled to sustain drives on offense, with penalties wiping points off the board. Quarterback DJ Lagway had a rough outing in his first SEC road start, tossing five interceptions against the Tigers’ defense. On the other side of the ball, however, the Gators’ defense played well enough to win.

HBC shares his thoughts Florida’s latest loss

Former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier joined the latest episode of ‘Another Dooley Noted Podcast‘ on Monday to share his perspective on the defeat. Spurrier praised Florida’s defense, a unit that has allowed only two touchdowns through three games, but noted their strong effort was overshadowed by the offensive miscues.

“It was not a good way to lose,” Spurrier said. “I think our defense played super. They gave up one touchdown and maybe a field goal, although I think it came after a turnover. One of those five interceptions. We threw too many passes. Obviously, when you don’t hit ’em, you threw too much. We had our chances, but five interceptions, you gotta throw five touchdowns to throw five interceptions.”

Despite Lagway’s turnover issues, he remained in the game and finished with 49 pass attempts — a number Spurrier believes was far too high.

“I’m sure coach [Billy] Napier’s looking at the stats and looking at this, that and the other and saying, ‘We can’t throw the ball 45, 50 times. We need to run it half the time.’ I got a feeling we’ll make some changes maybe in the game plan, I think.”

Spurrier on the struggles of the second-year Florida Gators QB

Lagway appeared in all but one game as a freshman last season, starting seven. He helped guide Florida to a four-game winning streak to close the 2024 season, but injuries limited his participation in both spring practice and fall camp this year. That lack of preparation has been evident through the first three games.

So far, Lagway has completed 71% of his passes, but his six interceptions outweigh his five touchdowns. He has accounted for all of Florida’s offensive turnovers in 2025. Spurrier suggested that the time Lagway missed earlier in the year could be contributing to his struggles, especially after seeing what the quarterback accomplished last season.

“He’s off a little bit from what he did last year, because last year, at the end of the season there, he was really good in those wins over Ole Miss and LSU,” Spurrier said. “But, right now, yeah, offensively, we need to regroup somehow or another and do something different. That’s what I’m saying. Let’s do something different. Let’s don’t throw 49 [passes in a game].”

Florida’s offensive issues extend beyond the quarterback position. The Gators are averaging just 137.3 rushing yards per game, with the ground attack producing 4.2 yards per carry. Sophomore running back Jadan Baugh has been a bright spot, averaging 6.6 yards per carry and 81 yards per game.

The schedule won’t get any easier, as Florida travels south this week to face No. 5 Miami.

“We still got a lot of ball left,” Spurrier said of the Gators’ season. “Obviously, we’ve got to do some things differently from what we’ve done the last two weeks. So, we’ll see how it plays out down in South Florida, Miami area, this week.”

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