Florida head coach Billy Napier faced the reality of another missed opportunity Saturday night in Baton Rouge. “We made too many mistakes to win the football game. It’s that simple,” Napier said after the 20 to 10 loss to LSU. “Parts of our team did enough to win and parts didn’t. Hats off to LSU. They made some plays. They have a good football team, a good veteran quarterback, and a good stingy defense.”
The Gators actually outgained LSU 366 to 322 and dominated time of possession 37 minutes 46 seconds to 22 minutes 14 seconds. They also racked up 23 first downs to LSU’s 10. But five interceptions from freshman quarterback DJ Lagway shifted the night. “DJ’s our quarterback. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country,” Napier said. “He made some good decisions tonight, but he also made some bad decisions tonight.”
Lagway finished 33 of 49 for 287 yards with one touchdown and five picks. “We’ve got to continue to work through progressions,” Napier explained. “That was probably the primary deal. We’ve got to continue to work our way through the progression and get to the next receiver.”
DJ LAGWAY THROWS HIS 5TH INTERCEPTION OF THE NIGHT 😱 pic.twitter.com/iAlaByoqpM
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 14, 2025
Napier also revealed the sideline talk after the fourth interception. “We’re right on the kick line, right on the 36. It’s a 10 point game. That’s a situation where you would kick the field goal and try to get it to a touchdown game… to turn it over would not be what we were looking to do in that situation.”
Asked about the possibility of making a switch, Napier was firm. “I don’t subscribe to that theory. He’s an incredible teammate and an incredible young man. He works as hard as any player that I’ve been around. Tonight is not indicative of who he is as a football player or a leader on our team.”
Florida’s defense held LSU to just 220 passing yards and forced one interception of their own. “We got a takeaway late. I thought we did a nice job in the kicking game keeping control of their returners,” Napier said. But the miscues, five turnovers and seven penalties, told the story. “We’re a few turnovers away and a few holding penalties away from keeping momentum. In general, I’m proud of the team and the mindset they brought here tonight.”
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