GAINESVILLE — “The Bummer Bowl” felt like a harsh, but fair title for Saturday in The Swamp.
In August, Arch Manning and DJ Lagway were considered among the top quarterbacks in the sport heading into 2025. At the time, it wasn’t crazy to think that their Week 6 showdown in Gainesville could have major Heisman Trophy ramifications, or at the very least, it could be a battle of All-SEC guys.
On the first day of October, ESPN ranked every Power Conference quarterback based on how they played in the first month of the season, and neither Manning (No. 41) nor Lagway (No. 61) cracked the top 40. It was hard to argue with that. Manning’s mechanical shortcomings led to 3.6 yards/attempt on throws between 0-9 yards while Lagway’s 1 completion on a pass 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage told the story for his rough first month…