Florida Gators vs. Texas A&M: How to watch, channel, streaming

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators will open SEC play this weekend against the Texas A&M Aggies. Both Florida and Texas A&M come into the game 1-1 on the season. This will be the first SEC contest for Aggie head coach Mike Elko, while Florida head coach Billy Napier is looking to cool hot-seat talk and get the Gators off to a good start in conference play this year.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Gators’ SEC opener against the Aggies.

How to watch the Florida Gators vs Texas A&M Aggies

Date: Saturday, Sep. 14
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (88,548) — Gainesville, Florida
TV: ABC (Cox): 7 / 1007 [HD]Channel (DirecTV): 8 [HD]
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: SiriusXM Channel: 132 or 201
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On the Call
Play-by-Play: Joe Tessitore
Analyst: Jesse Palmer
Reporter: Katie George

Betting lines

Spread: Texas A&M -3 (-115), Florida +3 (-105)
Over/Under: 46
Moneyline: Texas A&M (-170), Florida (+140)

How with the Florida Gators use DJ Lagway and Graham Mertz?

During his radio show on Thursday, Napier was asked directly how he would use his two quarterbacks.

“Whoever runs out there first, I don’t necessarily think is as big of a deal as, you know, who’s team wins. It’s a team win,” Napier said. “We’re hopeful both of those guys play really well. We know to play winning football, about 50-55 players will play in the game on Saturday and two of them will be quarterbacks. We believe they will all be ready to play, and certainly how they prepare and practice this week will be important.”

Napier was pressed to go further. Would Mertz and Lagway split reps 50/50? Would they trade off series to series?

“I think if you had two players that were similar age, experience and it was extremely competitive in relative to who the starter is, I think it would be different. This is just my opinion and I’ve been coaching for 20 years,” Napier said. “Sometimes I think I know what I’m doing and sometimes maybe not. I would just say that this is a situation where we have a veteran-proven player and we have a young, very-talented player, so I think this is one where you define it going in so neither one of them are kind of looking over their shoulder, feeling insecure, out of place, and they are working together as a team to go accomplish a goal.”

Availability Report

Game Notes

• Week 3 marks the seventh meeting between Florida and Texas A&M including the third-ever matchup in Gainesville.
• The lead in the series is up for grabs, as the Gators and Aggies are tied at 3-3 all-time in head-to-head matchups.
• The head-to-head series in Gainesville is also stuck in a 1-1 stalemate, with the last such installment in 2017.
• The first-ever meeting took place in Gainesville in 1962, with the Gators prevailing by a score of 42-6.
• Florida and Texas A&M met again in El Paso in 1976 (TAMU 37, UF 14), but did not play again until 2012 thereafter.
• After a 2012 road win (UF 20, TAMU 17), Florida dropped the next two games (2017 at home, 2020 on road) by a
  combined five points.
• The Gators rebounded for a convincing, 41-24 road win in College Station in HC Billy Napier’s first season (2022).
• In the last four meetings since 2012 (2-2), Florida has outscored Texas A&M, 116-101 (+3.75 PPG).
• In those four games, Florida (1,572 – 393.0 YPG) and Texas A&M (1,553 – 388.3 YPG) are nearly tied in total yardage.
• Florida is 15-3 in its last 18 SEC openers since 2006, with all three losses coming since 2018.
• Last season, the Gators upset No. 11 Tennessee, 29-16, in The Swamp to open up SEC play.
• This is the first meeting between Napier and TAMU HC Mike Elko as head coaches (more in ‘Crossing Paths’ on Page 9).
• The Gators are fresh off a 632-yard showing vs. Samford – the 16th-most yards by any FBS team this season.
• The win was highlighted by a 2024 FBS-high 456 yards passing and three touchdowns from QB DJ Lagway in his
  first-career start, marking a new true freshman record at Florida (one of four true freshman starting QBs in FBS).
• Lagway is one of six FBS quarterbacks with 400-plus yards and three touchdown passes in a game in 2024.
• Both of UF’s top quarterbacks (QB Graham Mertz, Lagway) have produced 400-yard passing games at Florida.
• Florida enters Week 3 ranking 33rd in the FBS in passing offense (294.0) and 35th in passer rating (163.5).
• Florida owns the No. 1 strength of schedule in the country, featuring eight Preseason AP Top-20 opponents.
• Last season, Florida ranked second nationally and first in the SEC in completion percentage (72.3%).