Three top takeaways from Florida football’s season-opening win vs. LIU
Florida football kicked off their 2025 season with a dominating 55-0 win against Long Island University.
The Swamp’s 13th-straight sellout definitely did not disappoint, as Billy Napier had his team ready from the very start.
In a game that saw defensive back Bryce Thornton recover two fumbles, a normally reliable kicker in Trey Smack miss a couple of field goals and a potential catch of the year by Vernell Brown III, this one had all its twists and turns.
Although the final score might reflect otherwise, the Florida Gators didn’t play as sharply as they might have liked to have played. Whether it was on special teams or a bit of offensive hiccups, there are still things they can improve on.
But for now, a win is a win and the Gators will get ready to do it again next week against USF.
Here are three takeaways from Florida’s victory over Long Island.
Florida kept DJ Lagway clean (for the most part)
Going into the game, the number one concern was DJ Lagway’s health. In this type of game, it’s important to not let your starting quarterback take too many hits. Initially, what Florida did not want to happen ended up happening.
In Lagway’s first drop back of the game, he was sacked. Fortunately, that’d be the first and last time. There were a couple of other hits here and there, but overall, he came out unscathed.
“We’ve got to play better around him,” Napier said at halftime. “Got to keep him clean, and he’s got to make good decisions, in terms of distributing the ball.”
Lagway played just the first half of the game, completing 15 of his 18 passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns.
Vernell Brown III is only a true freshman?
From video game-like catches to making Florida football history, Brown had himself an outstanding debut. With 1:20 remaining in the first half, Lagway dropped back and threw a 41-yard pass in which Brown made a terrific play, hauling in the ball with one hand as he was falling to the ground.
“What a play, man,” Napier said at halftime about Brown’s catch. “V-B-3 (Brown). He’s going to make a lot more in the future.”
Brown also made Gators history as he recorded the most receiving yards (79) by a true freshman, making his first start with the Orange and Blue. He ended up finishing with three catches for 79 yards.
The Florida defense was suffocating
Right from the jump, the Gators were not messing around defensively. They swarmed Long Island’s backfield and made it incredibly frustrating for the Sharks to do anything on offense. In fact, LIU was not able to do a whole lot because Florida’s defense looked like they were playing with a chip on their shoulder. It looked as if they had something to prove.
The Gators forced multiple turnovers that included Thornton’s pair of fumble recoveries, one of which was a scoop-and-score touchdown to put Florida on the board. The Orange and Blue also held Long Island to just 86 yards of offense.
If Florida’s defense can continue to play that same, ruthless and aggressive-type defense, a lot of pressure will be taken off Lagway and the offense.
As a reminder, it’s only been one game. There’s still an entire season of football left but it’s important to start off on a high note.
Up next for the Gators
Florida will be right back in the Swamp next Saturday, Sept. 6 as they host the USF Bulls. Kickoff is slated for 4:15 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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