5 things to watch out for as Florida hosts Texas A&M at "The Swamp" in Week 3
One of the most intriguing games in college football's Week 3 will be Texas A&M facing Florida on Saturday. Each team is 1-1 with an easy lower-tier win following a beatdown from a top-25 foe to open the season. Each is still working on direction, with Mike Elko in his first season at A&M while Billy Napier hopes to survive his third at UF.
Here's five things to watch for in the game Saturday.
5 things to watch for as Florida hosts Texas A&M
1. Who's at QB for UF?
Graham Mertz, a seasoned starter, struggled against Miami in Week 1. Freshman DJ Lagway took over in week 2 due to Mertz's injury and performed well.
Lagway passed for 456 yards on just 25 attempts and injected life into Florida's offense. However, he did all of this against FCS Sanford.
Mertz is probably starting Week 3, but Billy Napier has indicated that both QBs will play. Don't be surprised if Lagway gets the call for most of the game based on his higher upside.
2. Is Conner Weigman salvagable?
Texas A&M's QB, Conner Weigman, looked awful in Week 1 against Notre Dame. Weigman was 12 for 30 for 100 yards and a pair of interceptions. He was better last week, but then that was against McNeese State and he only threw 14 passes.
For the season, Weigman's 5.1 yards per pass attempt is abysmal. He averaged 8.2 last year until injury ended his season early. If Mike Elko is going to get A&M going, the QB has to play better.
3. Can Le'Veon Moss be an elite feature back?
A&M can help Weigman with a good ground game. Junior Le'Veon Moss is the likely suspect there, but he's usually not a big-carry back. In the opener against Notre Dame, Moss had exactly 20 rushes — the first time in his career that he's hit that mark.
That was only the sixth time in Moss's career that he had a double-digit number of carries. His efficiency (5.3 yards per carry) is impressive, but can A&M ride him for 18-20 carries consistently?
4. Will the real Gator defense stand up?
Against Miami in Week 1, Florida had just two tackles for loss in the entire game. Last week against FCS Samford, Florida had 12 TFLs. Certainly, competition has something to do with that gap. But so does the nature of UF's defense.
Against an A&M team with a fairly limited passing game, putting the opposing offense behind the chains could be key this Saturday. So can Florida do it?
5. Is A&M's run defense this bad?
It wasn't shocking when Notre Dame ran the ball fairly easily against A&M, although 5.8 yards per carry was still a bunch. But even in the easy win over McNeese State, the Aggies allowed 4.8 yards per carry.
To put that in perspective, even in last year's 7-6 season, A&M allowed just one team to manage 4.8 yards per carry (LSU).
Florida isn't one of the SEC's top rushing attacks, but if the Aggies are coughing up five yards per carry, the Gators might well learn to live by the run.
What will you be watching in the Florida/Texas A&M battle in Week 3? Share your thoughts below in our comments section.