Florida hosts No. 9 Texas as Napier's job comes under scrutiny

Florida enters Saturday night’s home game against No. 9 Texas still searching for offensive answers and potentially for the future of its head coach. The Gators, 1-3 overall, will host the Longhorns at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in a matchup that coaches and players have framed as pivotal after Florida’s three-game slide to open the season.

Coach Billy Napier said Monday that he saw encouraging signs from sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway during a full week of 11-on-11 reps in practice after a bye. Lagway, who missed spring practices and fall camp scrimmages with injuries, has struggled on the field this season. He has thrown two touchdowns and six interceptions during Florida’s three-game skid and is averaging roughly 5.4 yards per attempt, down from 8.7 last season against FBS competition. “This is my first real week of just good reps the whole practice,” Lagway said. “So it was just great to get out there and compete against the first-team defense.”

Florida’s offense has produced only one touchdown in each of its three losses and ranks last among Power Four programs in scoring against FBS opponents, averaging 11 points per game. The Gators have also generated few explosive plays,...