How about those Florida Gators on Saturday night? Billy Napier and company snapped the program's three-game losing streak to Kentucky on the back of two dynamic freshmen on the offense and a smothering defensive performance in the Swamp.
Let's talk about those freshmen, starting with QB DJ Lagway. Although he completed only 7/14 passes, he threw for 259 yards and showcased his dynamic arm talent.
Man, does he throw a pretty deep ball? It's poetry in motion. The true freshman signal caller connected on five passes of 40+ yards, including two 50+ yard passes to Elijah Badger.
Badger finished the evening with three receptions for 148 yards with catches of 40, 50, and 58 yards. The Arizona State transfer has found his footing this past month and change.
Eugene Wilson III had an excellent 40-yard reception. We should expect him to continue evolving into complete form after returning to the field from injury last week against Tennessee.
Keep an eye on the true freshman running back, Jadan Baugh. He ended the night with 22 carries for 106 yards and five touchdowns—one of the best running back performances in a Gator uniform in recent memory.
If Montrell Johnson Jr. can get healthy, this offense can give people some real trouble at the back end of the year. For all we know, the Gators could be playing spoiler to one of those teams in the hunt for SEC title contention.
The offensive line was fantastic. The front bullied a Kentucky trench that features a plethora of All-SEC and NFL-caliber talent. The Gators finished the night with 197 yards on the ground at 4.5 yards per carry, only allowing two sacks, one of which was a coverage sack late in the game.
Hat-tip to Billy Napier, who had a great night as a play-caller; the offense went 6/12 on 3rd down and 7/7 in the red zone, an avenue of this Florida offense that has been totally incompetent in recent weeks.
On to the defense, they continue to play exceptional football.
The unit held Kentucky to 4/13 on third down, under 170 yards passing, forced three turnovers, allowed just two runs of 10+ yards, and gave up just 13 points, with the extra seven coming from a special teams touchdown to end the first half.
It was a good win for Florida and Billy Napier, but can they repeat this result? Time and time again, even this season, the Gators remind fans and pundits of who they are, is it possible we are witnessing a turning point in Gainesville?
The Gators are on a bye this week before a matchup with Georgia at the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party on Saturday, November 2nd, at 3:30 PM ET.