CFB analyst points fingers at Billy Napier for DJ Lagway's 5-INT game vs. LSU as Florida QB's struggles continue

College football analyst J.D. Pickell blamed Florida coach Billy Napier for letting his quarterback DJ Lagway take a lot of chances against LSU's passing defense, resulting in five interceptions in last week's 20-10 loss.

On3 analyst Pickell stressed this on Friday in a short preview of the Florida-Miami game scheduled on Saturday. He placed the blame on the fourth-year Florida coach for not relying on his running backs to tear through the LSU defensive line and instead allowed Lagway to let it rip on passing.

"He (Lagway) threw five picks against LSU, DJ, we got to get right," Pickell said (Timestamp: 0:46) That's fair. I hear that. But here's what's not being said. You got to run it, man. Got to run it to help your quarterback."

The analyst noted that Napier allowed Lagway to test his arm against a tough LSU defense, considering that his signal-caller had a few reps during fall camp and spring practice.

Pickell also took note of the hype surrounding Florida's offensive line during the preseason. He said the Gators coach was high on the Jaden Baugh-led running back group to break out this season.

The analyst urged the team to give equal snaps to its running backs to confuse Miami's defensive line in their upcoming clash on Saturday.

"If you want to take shots downfield, how do you help yourself do that? Run the ball," Pickell said (Timestamp: 1:39). "Command something in the box. Yeah, Lagway's got to play better 100%. But run the football and help my guy out."

Billy Napier's Florida aims to break its two-game losing skid as it faces No. 4 Miami on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

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Florida coach Billy Napier addresses DJ Lagway's struggles

Florida coach Billy Napier addressed DJ Lagway's struggles this season, saying he has to work harder to help the quarterback play with more consistency moving forward.

In the first three games of the season, Lagway has completed 71% of his passes and recorded five touchdowns. But he has six interceptions already, which was magnified by his five picks against LSU.

Ahead of the game against Miami, Napier said that he and his coaching staff will help him bounce back from the horrible defeat.

"It is what it is at this point. We’ve seen him at his best and then we’ve seen him struggle," Napier said (per On3). "I think the important part is we try to get him back to where he can play winning football, which we know he’s very capable of.”

Lagway led Florida to wins against higher-ranked teams, LSU and Ole Miss, last season. He'll have to find that magic again, beginning with Saturday's game against Miami, to help the Gators' chances of contending in the college football playoffs by the end of the season.