Florida shocks No. 9 Texas behind play of freshman WR Wilson, Lagway

You know those moments where recruiters talk about first seeing the birth of the next big star athlete? Florida’s Dallas Wilson, in real time, cemented himself in college football lore.

Start with his first drive, in which the freshman receiver fumbled the ball on his first catch — which also happened to be the play of his first game, ever — but subsequently hit a defender so hard his helmet launched 10 yards. Then later, the first touchdown grab, which gave Florida lead a 10-point lead. And then he tip-toed down the sideline for a 55-yard score, and Gainesville felt like it was about ready to erect the statue beside Tim Tebow’s.

But perhaps his most impressive feat in the Gators’ 29-21 win over No. 9 Texas, in which he tallied 111 yards and two scores, was protecting coach Billy Napier’s job.

Despite a disparaging 1-3 start to the year for Florida, SEC Network’s College GameDay equivalent, SEC Nation, set up camp in GainesvilleSaturday. The result was a slew of boos when Napier called into the pre-pregame show, “Marty & McGee.”

The number of hopeful Gator fans left in The Swamp had drained precipitously in past weeks.

So as the rain rolled through Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in the first quarter, there was almost an air of revelation for the Florida fan base and the team itself. This result — a win over a top-10 team — wasn’t something it seemed like it knew it could obtain anymore, especially after two disastrous attempts against No. 3 LSU and No. 4 Miami in its last two games.

After injuring his left foot during fall camp, Wilson joined Vernell Brown III in the starting lineup, becoming the fourth pair of UF freshman pass catchers to start in a season. The duo, neither of which was born when Napier first began coaching in 2003, took advantage of Texas’ top cornerback, Malik Muhammed, missing the game. While Wilson was more impressive with his six receptions, including the breakaway touchdown, Brown remains Florida’s leader in yardage.

Their production, and the Florida offense as a whole, was a welcome sight for a defense that has been suffocating opponents for weeks. Against Texas, though, the Gators were somehow even better. Led by 1.5 sacks from Brien Taylor Jr., who never had a quarterback pressure prior to Saturday, Florida tallied six on Saturday and seven tackles for loss. The largest came on the final play, as Texas couldn’t get back to the line of scrimmage in time to spike the ball and continue a possible game-tying drive.

Florida quarterback DJ Lagway, who only passed for 61 yards against Miami, turned in his strongest showing with the Gators. The statistics are not eye-popping: 298 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. But in a duel of underwhelming preseason Heisman candidates, he surely outperformed Texas signal caller Arch Manning, who threw two game-deciding interceptions in the second half.

UF set an offensive tempo Texas couldn’t match by scoring on the first drive, which was the sole product of running back Jadan Baugh, even if it was entirely unexpected. A tailback averaging 5.9 yards per carry rushing for 39 yards on eight attempts to open a game shouldn’t come as a surprise.

But with backfield mate Ja’Kobi Jackson out and backup running back Duke Clark leaving during the contest, Napier’s hand couldn’t shift. The cuffs hurt Texas, more than anything else.

And if that concoction of unpredictable strengths wasn’t enough, Florida even won in special teams, blocking a Texas punt for a safety in the second quarter.

With the upset, Florida’s now 4-0 against ranked SEC foes at home under Napier, and he’s all the better for it. After a month of stress, Saturday proved to be a softer breath for the fourth-year coach. However, with five ranked foes remaining, and only two coming at home (only one of those two an SEC team, for that matter), Florida will need to sustain change, a feat Napier has yet to do.