Q: What was that move you made to get to the quarterback?

A: The move I used on my sack was a peek and pull. So, basically, like baiting the offensive guy to one side and just swiping to the other.

Q: What went into you reshaping your body since you got to UF, dropping about 30 pounds?

A: It was all about me wanting to be on the field, so I had to put myself in the best position to be able to perform on the field to the best of my ability. So, I feel like getting on a strict diet, working out – we had extra workouts for the weight-loss guys. I feel like a lot of that helped me put my body in the best position for me to perform.

Q: What’s the challenge of achieving success as a young defensive lineman? 

A: When I came in, I had to go against guys like Jake Slaughter, that’s very technical. They’ve been here for a while, so they’re very smart. I feel like going against the best, that puts you in a position to get better each and every day. You get technical each and every day, like you see things different, like you can see the offense different, you can see if the offensive line’s hands is light or is it heavy, it’s run or pass, you see how the running back is set up, is he on a different level, is he behind, is he in front, is he beside? You just see the game on a different level. 

Q: Was it a big adjustment to be pushed by your position coach, Gerald Chatman, who is known for his intensity?

A: It wasn’t necessarily an adjustment because in high school, I also had a very hard coach, so all the yelling and all that, I’m not new to it. Chatman is definitely a very technical guy. He’s very intentional after craft and all that. I just feel like he pushed us to be the best we wanted to be, and he just loved seeing us get better. He didn’t want nothing from us. He just wanted to see us get better.

 

FLORIDA — OUT: RB Duke Clark (upper body), DB Aaron Gates (shoulder, out for season), CB Dijon Johnson (knee, out for season), DL Caleb Banks (foot), DL LJ McCray (foot), RB Treyaun Webb (hamstring). DOUBTFUL: WR Kahleil Jackson (knee, has not played), DB Jamroc Grimsley (undisclosed, has not played), OL Fletcher Westphal (wrist, has not played). QUESTIONABLE: RB Ja’Kobi Jackson (undisclosed), WR Aidan Mizell (undisclosed), OL Devon Manuel (undisclosed), WR Muizz Tounkara (undisclosed), OL Roderick Kearney (undisclosed), DL Joseph Mbatchou (undisclosed), TE Tony Livingston (undisclosed). TEXAS A&M — OUT: DB Jarred Kerr (undisclosed), WR Jerome Myles (leg, out for season). QUESTIONABLE: LB Scooby Williams (ankle). PROBABLE: S Bryce Anderson (head/neck).

 

NEWS, NOTES, NUGGETS

• The Gators are facing a team ranked in the AP Top 10 for the fourth consecutive game, a first in program history. The fifth-ranked Aggies await after Florida faced No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Miami and No. 9 Texas.
• This is the eighth time in program history the Gators have faced Texas A&M. Florida is 3-4 against the Aggies, including 2-1 at Kyle Field. The Aggies won last year’s meeting, 33-20, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
• Florida has defeated five ranked teams while being unranked under fourth-year head coach Billy Napier, including last week’s victory over the Longhorns. All those wins have come at home. The Gators are 0-13 under Napier against ranked teams away from home.
• In the Gators’ only trip to Texas A&M under Napier, they won 41-24 in 2022 behind 492 yards of offense and two passing and two rushing touchdowns by quarterback Anthony Richardson. The loss was Texas A&M’s fifth in a row, the Aggies’ longest losing streak in 42 years.
• The Gators are ranked 24th among FBS programs in total defense (295.6 yards per game) and 26th in scoring defense (17.0 points per game). Meanwhile, Florida’s offense is ranked last in the SEC in scoring at 23.4 points a game. They were thwarted by a three-game losing streak during which the Gators managed just 33 points before breaking out against Texas.
• Gators quarterback DJ Lagway improved to 8-4 as a starter in last week’s win over Texas. Three of Lagway’s wins have come against ranked opponents.
• UF running back Jadan Baugh is ranked sixth in the SEC in rushing, averaging 79.2 yards per game after his career-high 107 yards against Texas. Baugh now has 1,069 career yards, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark a week ago.
• Gators defensive lineman Brien Taylor Jr., a Houston native who transferred from Blinn (Texas) Junior College in 2024, had a career-high 1.5 sacks last week. “I do think there’s a learning curve for a first-year JuCo player,” Gators coach Billy Napier said. “Think it kind of clicks the second year. That’s happened for him. He stepped up for the team in a major way. We’re hopeful he can continue to play at a high level for us.”
• Texas A&M linebacker Scooby Williams, who started his career with the Gators, has 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble. Williams has missed the past two games with an ankle injury and is questionable for Saturday.
• Former Gators defensive assistants Jay Bateman (linebackers) and Sean Spencer (defensive line) are on Texas A&M’s staff.

Second-year Texas A&M coach Mike Elko graduated with an Ivy League degree. Elko earned a history degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999. He then took the road less traveled and started a coaching career as a graduate assistant at Stony Brook. More than two decades later, the 48-year-old Elko has revived the Aggies with a 13-5 record since arriving from Duke.

Elko is 5-0 in October games since taking over the Aggies and discussed the matchup with the Gators and more during his casual “Aggie Football Hour With Mike Elko” on Wednesday night. Here is more to help you learn more about Elko and his team …

THEY SAID IT

• “He’s a big personality guy. He’s obviously a big playmaker, so being able to have him back on the field is a great thing. Being able to have more guys come in and contribute makes everything more fun.” — Florida receiver J. Michael Sturdivant on adding true freshman receiver Dallas Wilson to the mix
• “These were two – about the highest grade I give, I gave both these guys. Big, physical, elite finishing speed. So you gotta bottle them up, gotta play with edges, gotta gang tackle, gotta wrap up. Can’t assume.” — Florida head coach Billy Napier on what he told the team about Aggies running backs Le’Veon Moss (5.3 yards per carry) and Rueben Owens II (7.1)
• “They’re very talented, but we’re talented, too. And we’re a veteran group, so there’s not much we haven’t seen, and there’s not much that we won’t see. We’re prepared. We’re ready to go.” — Texas A&M offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III on Florida’s defensive line, which helped produce six sacks a week ago against Texas

THEY WROTE IT

• “It would be a great comeback story if Billy Napier, the Houdini of the Hot Seat, could build upon UF’s monumental upset over then-No. 9 Texas last week. Admittedly, the coming-out party of true freshman receiver Dallas Wilson, coupled with quarterback DJ Lagway looking much like he did at the end of last season, gives Gator fans reason to hope.” — Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi
• “Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed wasn’t mentioned in the same breath by most in the media as SEC quarterbacks DJ Lagway, Garrett Nussmeier, Arch Manning or LaNorris Sellers during the summer. But five games into the season, one could argue the redshirt sophomore has outperformed all of them.” — Keith Niebuhr of On3.com
• “Florida looked like a different team against Texas last week, especially on offense. It’s easy to ascribe that to the Longhorns playing poorly, but I don’t think that’s all of it. Whether it’s the ascension of Dallas Wilson, DJ Lagway clicking or just figuring some things out schematically, I think we’ll see a much better Gator squad than the one who lost three straight games to USF, LSU and Miami.” — Robert Behrens of GoodBullHunting.com, a Texas A&M site on the SBNation network