Steve Spurrier gives latest feelings on Florida's quarterback situation
Florida is still managing the usage of two quarterbacks at once with Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway.
Following their latest outing together, Steve Spurrier has spoken on how he sees it going between the pair. It’s interesting to him to begin with considering he thought that Lagway was going to trend from there on after his debut. However, Mertz has returned for conference play and regained some of his prior standing.
“Yeah, it’s interesting how, after Lagway had that super game against Samford, everybody’s ready to put him in there. Now, everybody’s back, well, Mertz is our man,” Spurrier said on ‘Another Dooley Noted Podcast’ on Monday.
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On Saturday, Mertz and Lagway played at a two-to-one ratio with them switching out on every third drive. For Mertz, that saw him go 19/21 (90.5%) for 201 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 24 yards and a score. For Lagway, that saw him make all seven of his throws for 76 yards while running for 22. That production helped the offense tie a season-high in scoring and post their second-best yardage of the year in a 45-28 win at Mississippi State.
“(Mertz) played very well. Lagway played well also last week,” said Spurrier.
So, what does that mean for the pair of them moving forward after their first bye week? That’s for Billy Napier to assess as they continue to want to play both. It’s just a matter of how that looks in snap count or how one may be playing compared to the other in a given game.
“Maybe just keep playing them however we did last week? But, then again, if one of them is clearly having a good game, I would think he’d play most of it,” Spurrier thought.
“When you’ve got two that are really good, though? I mean, you’ve got to play them somehow or another,” Spurrier said. “If one is not playing real well, then the other one goes.”
ESPN Broadcast: Mertz has earned the opportunity to be on the field despite Lagway
ESPN’s Dusty Dvoracek said during this weekend’s broadcast in Starkville that Mertz earned the right to start and be the sole quarterback of the offense. It seemed like play-by-play man Dave Pasch agreed too.
“I just I wonder, though, you know, we talked about this earlier, looking big picture, if Florida’s really going to turn it around and make a bowl game at some point, do you have to decide on a quarterback?” Pasch asked. “Because, as we’ve seen throughout the history of football, two quarterback systems rarely work when it’s two guys that are coming in. I mean, it’s different if you have one guy coming for one play. It’s different.”
“I wonder if the role of DJ Lagway is a little more shrunk, a little more limited,” Dvoracek said. “We’ve seen him come in, be utilized as a runner, red zone situations. He is 6-foot-3, 240. He’s got that big frame, that athleticism but clearly Billy Napier wants to continue for him to grow and mature and he sounds like he’s dedicated to keeping this somewhat status quo moving forward. But I agree. I think, Graham Mertz, he’s earned the opportunity to be on the field. He’s going to give your team the best chance to win.”