GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Backup quarterback Marcel Reid scored three touchdowns in his first collegiate start and Texas A&M University beat Florida 33-20 on Saturday in what may have been coach Billy Napier’s final game with the Gators.
Reed, filling in for injured starter Connor Weigman, threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score to lead the Aggies to their first road win in nearly three years. Texas A&M (2-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) had lost 10 straight games on the road.
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The game will be remembered as a signature win for first-year coach Mike Elko and may be Napier’s final win with the Gators (1-2, 0-1).
Florida looked inept both defensively and defensively, losing to Swamp Force for the second time this season, the first against Miami putting pressure on Napier and the latest game could see him get fired.
Napier fell to 12-16 in Gainesville and has now lost 12 of its last 15 games against powerhouse conference opponents, marking its seventh straight loss in those games, including four at home.
Napier is now 10-6 at Florida Field, surpassing the number of losses in the Swamp over two-plus seasons under Steve Spurrier (68-5) and Urban Meyer (35-5), both of whom had huge success in Gainesville.
If Florida fires Napier, he will be owed about $27 million. Napier’s 28-game tenure will be the franchise’s shortest in the past 100 years. James Alward Van Vleet managed 19 games in 1923-24 with a record of 12 wins, 3 losses and 4 ties before retiring to serve in the military and eventually becoming an Army general.
Napier’s worst moment may have come at halftime on Saturday. As both teams left the field, he was shown on a big screen playing a pre-recorded public service announcement against drunk driving, during which he was booed vehemently, and again as he ran into the locker room after a television interview.
Florida came out strong early in the third quarter. Trailing 20-0, Graham Mertz found Elijah Badger for a 14-yard score, but Reed answered two plays later, completing a wheel route to Cyrus Allen for a 73-yard gain.
On the ensuing drive, Bryce Anderson intercepted a deflected pass from Mertz and returned it 45 yards for a 33-7 lead. Anderson silenced the crowd as he approached the goal line. Florida fans had long since started to empty the Swamp, and were clearly fed up with Napier.
RELATED: Florida standout Emmitt Smith watches son’s Texas A&M game in the Swamp
Emmitt’s Picks
Florida great and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith served as honorary “Mister Two-Bits” for his hometown team before kickoff, but he predicted the Aggies would win for SEC Nation because his son, EJ, plays at Texas A&M University.
It was a somewhat awkward arrangement for Smith, whose family members wore half-Florida, half-Texas A&M jerseys. Smith is a spokesman for Narcan nasal spray, and the company was a major sponsor of the game. Smith wore a black Narcan shirt while watching the first quarter from the end zone.
Melz and promising newcomer DJ Ragway
Mertz and Lagway alternated at quarterback. Both struggled early but threw a touchdown pass in the third quarter. Lagway had his second interception late in the fourth quarter.
Florida’s defense was the biggest issue, allowing the Gators 302 total yards in the first half and 310 rushing yards by the end of the game.
summary
Texas A&M: After a mediocre showing against Notre Dame in the season opener, Reid has revitalized the Aggies’ offense and could force Elko State into some tough decisions going forward.
Florida: After a season-opening loss to Miami, it felt like it was all over for Napier. It wasn’t a question of now, but of when. Would the Gators wait out the bye week or bow out after another home humiliation?
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