GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway will open fall camp in the same spot he spent spring practice — watching from the sideline.
Lagway is dealing with a calf strain and wearing a walking boot, and coach Billy Napier offered no timetable on his star player’s return. It’s the latest injury issue for the highly touted sophomore who missed spring with a shoulder injury after undergoing sports hernia surgery.
“It’s not ideal,” Napier said Wednesday. “In the perfect world, he would be perfect every day of the offseason. I think the good thing is his attitude toward it. I think that’s a positive. … He’s in Year 2, I think he understands what’s required to be ready. It’s not ideal, but I think ultimately we’ll come up with the best plan we can to have him ready.”
The Gators open training camp Wednesday. And Napier, unlike in previous years, closed viewing periods to media for the first three days.
Lagway, who went 6-1 in seven starts as a freshman in 2024, is widely considered a Heisman Trophy contender heading into this season. But he has barely been on the field at a time when he could be making significant strides.
He was limited during spring practice because of a right shoulder injury that could eventually need surgery. He resumed throwing in late April and said earlier this month at SEC media days that he would fully participate in camp.
But then he strained a calf muscle last week.
“Injuries are one of the terrible things about the profession and certainly for him being a Year 2 player and a really motivated and hungry guy,” Napier said. “I think he’s done a good job staying connected. I think he still has a voice as a leader. He’s still walking the halls. He’s still able to be a factor in that regard.
“But he’s still a very young player and needs these reps for development as well. When he gets back, he’ll be just fine. He’s had a great attitude toward it, and we’ve got to help him manage expectations a little bit as well.”
Lagway completed 60% of his passes for 1,915 yards, with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2024. He took over the starting role after Graham Mertz tore a knee ligament at Tennessee in October.
Without Lagway now, journeyman Harrison Bailey is expected to get most of the first-team snaps. Bailey played at Tennessee, UNLV and Louisville before transferring to Florida earlier this year.
For Lagway, the calf injury is the latest in a growing list of setbacks over the past three years. The Willis, Texas, native injured his right foot during the Under Armour All-American Game in January 2024 and missed parts of training camp last fall because of shoulder soreness.
Lagway also strained his left hamstring against Georgia last year and missed the following week’s game at Texas. He returned down the stretch and helped the Gators win their final four games.
“The sky’s the limit for that kid,” teammate and defensive end Tyreak Sapp said. “That kid is not just blessed with a lot of ability; the kid is skilled. He practices what he preaches, and he comes in every day and works hard, regardless of what it is. … It’s going to be super exciting to see what he does.
“I think those [injuries] happen. Obviously, it’s unfortunate. We do our best to keep DJ healthy and keep DJ going. I know DJ’s going to be able to show out and be himself — and be the best version of himself.”
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, who left the Nittany Lions’ stunning 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Saturday, is out for the season, coach James Franklin said in his postgame media availability.
Allar hobbled off the field after a third-down play in the fourth quarter, and was eventually carted off to the locker room. He was replaced by Ethan Grunkemeyer.
“Drew will be done for the year,” Franklin said.
Penn State (3-3) has now lost three straight games, with two of those coming in Happy Valley. The reeling Nittany Lions will take on Iowa next Saturday.
It’s a different story for the Wildcats. They surged to 4-2 as Caleb Komolafe ran for 72 yards and a touchdown to stun the Beaver Stadium crowd. Preston Stone threw for 163 yards with a touchdown pass to Griffin Wilde, and Jack Olsen kicked three field goals for the Wildcats, who won their third straight and moved to 2-1 in the Big Ten.
The Wildcats, who hadn’t won in Beaver Stadium since 2014, took the lead for good with 4:51 remaining when Komolafe bulled his way through Penn State’s defense to cap a 75-yard drive.
The Nittany Lions, who fell to 0-3 in the league, got the ball back, but that’s when Allar suffered his injury. Grunkemeyer was immediately stopped on a fourth-down run, and the Wildcats ran the clock out from there.
“It’s 100 percent on me,” Franklin said of the loss. “And we got to get it fixed. And I will get it fixed.”
Allar, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen ran for touchdowns for the Nittany Lions. It was the fifth time a Franklin-coached Penn State team has lost at least three consecutive games in a season.
The Nittany Lions, who committed six penalties for 71 yards in the first half, could never get out of their way. Meanwhile, the Wildcats played steady, almost mistake-free football in front of a flat Penn State crowd that chanted “Fire James Franklin!” early.
Allar was intercepted on Penn State’s opening drive when he threw the ball right to defensive back Ore Adeyi in the end zone. Adeyi returned it to the Northwestern 33, and the Wildcats turned it into three points 12 plays later with Jack Olsen’s 27-yard field goal with 2:51 left in the first quarter.
The Nittany Lions finally got their offense moving with Allen. He carried five times on Penn State’s next possession and gave his team a 7-3 lead when he muscled in from 11 yards out early in the second.
Northwestern marched into Penn State’s territory on its next possession, and Stone found a wide-open Wilde for a go-ahead 28-yard touchdown pass.
The Wildcats appeared to get a stop on defense but fumbled away the ensuing punt. The Nittany Lions needed nine plays from Northwestern’s 26 but finally broke through on a fourth-and-goal when Singleton slashed around the Wildcats’ left flank for a 2-yard touchdown.
Olsen made a 34-yarder with three seconds left to cut Penn State’s lead to 14-13 at halftime.
EUGENE, Ore. — Fernando Mendoza threw for 215 yards and a key fourth-quarter touchdown and No. 7 Indiana remained undefeated with a 30-20 victory over No. 3 Oregon on Saturday.
Roman Hemby added a pair of scoring runs for the Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten), who frustrated the Ducks (5-1, 2-1) with stout defensive play.
The victory was Indiana’s second against an AP top-five opponent in program history. The Hoosiers entered Saturday having lost 46 consecutive games vs. AP top-five opponents, tied with Wake Forest for the longest streak in the AP poll era, according to ESPN Research.
Dante Moore threw for 186 yards and a touchdown for Oregon. He had two interceptions and was sacked six times.
With Oregon down 20-13 going into the fourth quarter, Brandon Finney Jr. intercepted Mendoza’s pass and ran it back 35 yards to tie the game with 12:42 left.
Mendoza answered with an 8-yard scoring pass to Elijah Sarratt with 6:23 to go. On Oregon’s next series, Dante Moore’s pass was intercepted by Louis Moore.
Brendan Franke added a 22-yard field goal for the Hoosiers with 2:06 left.
Both teams were coming off weeks off. In their last game, the Ducks beat Penn State 30-24 in double overtime on the road in the annual White Out game. The Hoosiers beat Iowa 20-15 on the road.
On the first series of the game, the Ducks failed at a fourth-and-1 attempt, giving the Hoosiers good field position for their opening drive. It ended with Nico Radicic‘s 42-yard field goal.
Oregon pulled ahead with Dante Moore’s 44-yard touchdown pass to Malik Benson, but Hemby rushed for a 3-yard touchdown before the end of the first quarter to make it 10-7.
Atticus Sappington‘s 40-yard field goal tied it up for the Ducks, but a later 36-yard attempt that would have given Oregon the lead went wide left.
Franke kicked a 58-yard field goal as time ran out to give Indiana a 13-10 advantage at the break.
Sappington’s 33-yard field goal in the third quarter tied it again for Oregon, but Hemby added his second touchdown for the Hoosiers, a 2-yard dash late in the period.
DALLAS — Ryan Niblett returned a punt 75 yards for a decisive touchdown in the fourth quarter and Texas got a much-needed 23-6 win over sixth-rankedOklahoma in their annual Red River Rivalry game on Saturday.
Arch Manning completed 21 of 27 passes for 166 yards and the go-ahead 12-yard TD to DeAndre Moore Jr. on the opening drive of the second half for the Longhorns (4-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference), who were coming off a loss at Florida that knocked the preseason No. 1 team out of the AP Top 25.
Texas retained the Golden Hat trophy and should get back into the next poll on Sunday. More importantly, the Longhorns avoided a loss that likely would have ended any realistic chance of getting into the College Football Playoff for the third year in a row.
John Mateer was 20-of-38 passing with three interceptions in his return to the lineup for Oklahoma (5-1, 1-1) only 17 days after surgery on his throwing (right) hand.
Niblett worked up the sideline in front of the Texas bench, and after making a cut inside near midfield bounced off a teammate and continued his sprint to the end zone for a 20-6 lead with 9:59 left.
When the Sooners gained 38 yards on three plays to the Texas 27 on the ensuing drive, Mateer had an incompletion before being sacked on consecutive plays and then had another incompletion on fourth-and-22. They finished with only 258 total yards.
Mason Shipley kicked field goals of 22, 48 and 39 yards for the Longhorns. He had two long misses, the first a 55-yard attempt that ricocheted off the right upright, and was later short on a 56-yard attempt.
Tate Sandell kicked a 42-yard field goal on the game’s opening drive for the Sooners. He made it 6-0 with a 41-yarder in the second quarter, but they didn’t score again.
