Florida Gators

Blue 38, Orange 32

What Happened

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Fifth-year senior tailback Ja'Kobi Jackson rushed for a spring-game record 198 yards and three touchdowns to pace his Blue squad to a 38-32 victory Saturday in Florida's annual Orange & Blue showdown and highlight of handful of eye-opening individual performances on a gorgeous, sun-splashed afternoon at Spurrier/Florida Field. 

Jackson, the 5-foot-10, 216-pounder out of Pensacola, Florida, amassed his yards on just 10 carries, scoring on touchdowns of 23, 40 and 90 yards. He teamed with quarterback Aidan Warner, the walk-on and Yale transfer who started a game last season for the Gators, who completed 10 of 23 passes for 157 yards and a pair of first-half scores — the first to tight end Hayden Hansen for eight yards and second to wideout Aiden Mizell for 24 yards — to help the Blue open a four-touchdown lead. 

For the Orange, quarterback Harrison Bailey, the transfer from Louisville, threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns in defeat. Bailey, who four months ago was named MVP of the Sun Bowl, completed 29 of 43 attempts and threw one interception. A third of his completions went to freshman wide receiver Dallas Wilson, the five-star early enrollee who flipped from Oregon and in his UF debut caught 10 passes for 195 yards, both spring records, with TDs of 20 and 19 in the fourth quarter. Orange kicker Trey Smack booted a spring-record 56-yard field goal.  

Heralded sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway, coming off a terrific freshman season, was limited during spring practices due to a sore shoulder. He took only a handful of snaps Saturday and did not attempt a pass. Lagway was one of several projected starters — along with wideout Eugene Wilson III, offensive linemen Damieon George Jr. and Knijeah Harris, plus nickel Aaron Gates and safety Bryce Thornton — who sat out for precautionary reasons. 

The Orange started with a 3-0 lead for winning a team competition at practice Thursday, but the first half belonged to the Blue. 

The Blue, behind Jacksons's 99 first-half rushing yards and two touchdowns, raced to a 28-0 lead before freshman running back Duke Clark got the Orange on the board on a 1-yard run on the final play before halftime. Bailey halved the Blue lead on the opening possession of the second half when he threw a 25-yard scoring strike to wideout Tank Hawkins. 

On the Blue's very next snap, Jackson went up the middle and raced 90 yards for a score and 35-14 lead. After that, the Bailey-to-Wilson connection made things interesting, as far as the scoreboard. 
 

What It Means

The end of of a very important spring and beginning to what Steve Spurrier calls "talking season." Let the hype (come what may) begin. 

In the Spotlight

With apologies to the Jackson, Wilson and everyone else on the football team, the halftime celebration honoring the men's basketball team and its thrilling 65-63 national-championship victory Monday night over Houston — and Walter Clayton Jr.'s final, heartfelt "Gators Boys Stay Hot!" shoutout — was something to behold. Gator Nation had not had a celebratory moment like that in years.   

Staggering Statistic

Two years ago, the O&B game ended in a 10-7 score with the two teams combining for 505 yards. Last year, it was 19-17 score with 648 yards. This time, the teams joined forces for 67 points and 831 total yards of offense (without Lagway even throwing a pass). Just what that means will be flushed out in the fall. 

Up Next

The next phase of offseason and summer workouts eventually will give way to the start of fall camp in August and run-up to the 2025 season opener Aug. 31 against Long Island. The Gators are expected to debut ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 and with Lagway as one of the leading contenders for the Heisman Trophy, making Coach Billy Napier's fourth season one of the most anticipated UF football campaigns in years.