Take Five Breakdown: Lagway Homecoming

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• Parental Perspective: Florida Football Parental RoundTable
• Parental Perspective: Four-star’s father talks about the process and the UF staff
• September Superlatives
• OTM: Five-Game Stretch Should Determine Napier’s Future

The Florida Gators (2-3, 1-1 SEC) travel to face the No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies (5-0, 2-0 SEC). For the first time in program history, the Gators are facing their fourth straight AP top 10 opponent. To learn about the Aggies, Inside the Gators spoke with Mathias Cubillan, associate sports editor for The Battalion, Texas A&M University’s student newspaper.

Five Texas A&M Aggies to Know

Marcel Reed, Quarterback, Redshirt Sophomore

• In his first career start, Reed went into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and torched Florida. He finished 11-of-17 for 178 yards, two touchdown passes, 83 rushing yards and a touchdown run in the 2024 meeting between the Aggies and Gators. Reed started the rest of the season for Texas A&M, showcasing his dual-threat capabilities but also showing inconsistencies in the passing game. Cubillan thinks Reed has grown as a signal caller through experience and roster additions. “He’s improved a lot,” said Cubillan. “A lot with his arm. He’s a lot more comfortable in [offensive coordinator] Collin Klein’s offense this year. There are a lot more weapons this year. But he’s still looking for that deep ball.”

Cashius Howell, Defensive End, Redshirt Senior

• Howell’s seven sacks rank second in the country, first among Power Four conference players. Howell, a player with 22.5 career sacks, was somehow overshadowed last year on the Texas A&M defensive line. Three Aggie defensive ends were selected in the first two rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. “Now that those guys are no longer here, he’s stepped up in the biggest way possible,” says Cubillan. “He can win on the outside. He’s got inside moves to beat the tackles. He’s been a consistent factor every play.”

Le’Veon Moss, Running Back, Senior

• Texas A&M is rushing for almost 200 yards per game, and Moss is a big part of that. The preseason All-SEC first team running back has 343 yards and five touchdowns through five games played. Moss produces despite dealing with anxiety-induced stomach problems. “There are long stretches where he’s not in the game,” says Cubillan. “When he’s on the field, he’s a jackhammer. Powerful guy.”

Mario Craver, Wide Receiver, Sophomore

• Craver leads the SEC in receiving yards with 557. He’s blossomed into an elite receiver with the Aggies, after an ordinary freshman year with Mississippi State, where he reeled in just 17 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns. At just 5-foot-9, Craver has an interesting skillset. “Klein does a great job at getting him open in space,” said Cubillan. “Screens, bubble screens, jet sweeps. He’s a really cool player.”

KC Concepcion, Wide Receiver, Junior

• Although Craver has tallied more receptions and yards through five games, Concepcion was the big-name receiver that coach Mike Elko pulled out of the transfer portal last offseason. In two seasons with North Carolina State, Concepcion had over 1600 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns. He was a proven weapon. While Craver’s stats might be better, Cubillan is adamant that Concepcion is the primary target for Reed. “Craver is more of a scripted touch guy,” said Cubillan. “When they really need a play, they go to Concepcion. He doesn’t drop the ball. He gets open a lot. He’s the best player on the team. With Reed, when things get tough, he goes to (No.) 7 first.”

Five Fast Facts

• Saturday could mark Florida’s highest-ranked win since beating No. 4 LSU on Oct. 10, 2009.
• Florida ranks 10th in first-down defense.
• A Texas A&M win would give Mike Elko his 30th win as a head coach.
• The Aggies started conference play 2-0 for the third consecutive season.
• Kyle Field has drawn over 100,000 fans in the last nine Aggies’ home games.

Five Game Day Storylines

Lagway Homecoming

• Florida quarterback DJ Lagway grew up in Willis, Texas, just over an hour away from Texas A&M’s campus. Lagway passed for 4,604 yards and 58 touchdowns in his senior year with Willis High School, earning Gatorade National Player of the Year honors. “Elko mentioned in his presser how hard they tried to recruit him,” said Cubillan.

Is Florida Back?

• The preseason No. 15 team looked bad through four games. After beating up on FCS opponent Long Island, the Gators averaged just 11 points per game in losses against USF, LSU, and Miami. Following the grueling loss to the Hurricanes, Florida utilized their bye week and came out strong against No. 9 Texas, upsetting the Longhorns 29-21. Lagway exploded in the Gators’ win, earning SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors after completing 21-of-28 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns. Florida’s defense also had six sacks. They only had three through their first four games.

All-Time Series

• It’s only the eighth meeting between Florida and Texas A&M, which only joined the SEC in 2012. The Aggies lead the all-time series 4-3 after last year’s 33-20 Texas A&M win. Reed dominated as Florida failed to establish any offensive rhythm, alternating between Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway at quarterback. The Gators last traveled to College Station, Texas, in 2022, where Anthony Richardson totaled four touchdowns en route to a 41-24 win.

Top Five Texas A&M

• For the first time in the Elko era, the Aggies are ranked in the AP top five. Texas A&M was 8-3 last season when they hosted No. 3 Texas with a trip to the SEC championship game on the line. The Aggies lost that game 17-7, then lost to USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. They started the season ranked 19th. A key win over top 10 Notre Dame and dominant performances against Auburn and Mississippi State has propelled them to top five status. “It’s not hard to get Aggieland bought in,” says Cubillan. “They’ve bought the Kool-Aid.”

Reed’s Deep Ball

• Reed is 9-4 as a starting quarterback. He’s produced wins through quick throws, rolling out of the pocket and running downfield. Cubillan says his weakness is his deep ball. According to 247 Sports, Reed has connected on just 9-of-28 passes of more than 20 yards. “The ceiling of this team depends on Reed,” said Cubillan. “There aren’t holes on this team. Can the consistency improve on Reed? Can he hit the deep balls?”

Score Prediction

• Lance: 27-21 Texas A&M
• Mathias: 21-20 Texas A&M

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