When Billy Napier was announced as head football coach at the University of Florida on Dec. 5, 2021, he promised to build “the best football program in the SEC.”
Like many Nick Saban disciples, his blueprint to accomplish that involved his own variation on Saban’s famed “Process.”
“We must have a championship approach in everything that we do to accomplish this goal. Every choice, every detail, every decision, every habit that we build along the way, we’re going to begin with the ending in mind, and that is to be a champion,” Napier said in his opening remarks.
As Florida went about building a championship program again, Napier urged everyone involved in Florida football, from cheerleaders and small donors to local businesses and big boosters to “take ownership in their role, whatever that may be.”
Presumably, the head coach takes ownership too, right?
Two and a half years into Napier’s tenure, the Gators aren’t close to Napier’s lofty goals.
After Saturday night’s heartbreaking 23-17 overtime loss to Tennessee, Florida is 14-17 under Napier overall, with losses in 8 of their past 10 games against Power 5/4 opposition.
Napier’s process sounds great, but Saturday night’s loss at Tennessee was the latest– and perhaps the final damning evidence– that Florida’s head coach isn’t executing it.
Napier simply isn’t making the choices or decisions or developing the habits in the Florida program to change that trend.
Napier’s players?
They are doing their part, or certainly did Saturday night, when they outplayed Tennessee for the bulk of 60 minutes and did more than enough to leave Knoxville with an 18th win in 20 tries in this storied rivalry.
Florida’s much maligned defense, in particular, was exceptional. The Gators limited a Tennessee offense ranked 5th in the country in total offense, 10th in success rate offense, 13th in offensive efficiency and 10th in yards per play to season lows in yards (312), yards per play (4.5) and success rate (37.4%).
Florida produced 2 first-half turnovers and multiple 4th-quarter stops with the game hanging in the balance and Florida needing the ball to score and tie. It was the kind of defensive effort Florida hasn’t produced much of this decade, and it was a sign that something might be building on that side of the football, coming one week after Florida stuffed a UCF program that arrived at The Swamp with the nation’s No. 2-ranked rushing offense.
Programs on the way back to SEC and national relevance take advantages of great defensive performances.
Napier’s program wasted it, scoring just 3 points in 4 red-zone trips in the first half Saturday night.
Each red-zone failure demonstrated Florida’s lack of coaching competence. It will make a Florida fan’s eyes bleed, but let us count the ways.
After settling for a field goal on their first red-zone trip, the Gators drove 73 yards from inside their own 10 on their second.
That’s when the paralysis by analysis that seems to plague Napier kicked in. Florida, needing 5 inches and playing the drive with 6-3, 240 pound quarterback DJ Lagway lined up behind the SEC’s best center, Jake Slaughter, opted to run a jet sweep. Tennessee promptly slammed Tre Wilson to the turf for no gain and took over on downs.
A head coach focused on having a program attentive to every detail doesn’t run a jet sweep sideways for 15 horizontal yards to try to get 5 inches.
And, as a former Florida player texted me Saturday night, a head coach concerned with making the right choices consistently doesn’t neglect to challenge the obviously bad spot that put Florida in 4th-and-5 inches in the first place.
A possession later, Florida steamrolled 79 yards on 7 plays to the Tennessee 1-yard line before an injury timeout.
That’s when, despite the fact that Montrell Johnson Jr. was a wrecking ball rolling downhill the entire drive, Napier took the ball away from his All-SEC running back and ran a quarterback sneak — with the smaller, less athletic Graham Mertz under center.
Mertz fumbled trying to break the plane with the football, and Tennessee pounced on the mistake.
Somehow Florida’s final red-zone trip of the first half was the worst.
Following a Florida interception of Nico Iamaleava, the Volunteers’ defense came up big with a stop to force a field-goal attempt.
After multiple seasons of being plagued by game-changing special teams mistakes, Florida — out of timeouts — failed to properly substitute the field goal team into the game with the clock winding down. Trey Smack drilled the 42-yard try, but the resulting substitution infraction on Florida negated the kick and took 3 points off the board before halftime.
The Gators sure missed those points in the 4th quarter.
Tennessee steadied itself, scoring 17 straight points after Florida lost Mertz to a freakish non-contact injury after a 3rd-quarter touchdown pass.
The Gators also lost Johnson in the second half when he injured his ankle after a hip drop tackle, the kind already banned in the NFL but still allowed in college football.
Down 2 players who repped the program at SEC Media Days in one of the loudest venues in the sport, Florida’s players fought back, anyway.
Following consecutive stops by the defense and 2 outstanding Chimere Dike punt returns to flip the field position, Florida gave itself a chance to win the game late when Lagway fired a strike under pressure to a wide open Dike to get the Gators within a point at 17-16.
That’s when Napier failed to follow another self-proclaimed mantra.
Scared money don’t make money.
Isn’t that what Billy Napier promised when he arrived in Gainesville?
A program that wouldn’t be afraid to take chances?
A program that would seize the moment on its way back to SEC prominence and national relevance?
Down 2 captains and on a night when the Florida defense played its guts out, Napier surely wouldn’t get scared of going for the win on the road, right? After all, playing overtime with a true freshman quarterback, true freshman running back, and a banged up offensive line in a brutal road environment is a recipe for defeat, no?
Napier sent the team onto the field in an Emory and Henry formation (multiple offensive linemen split wide) to go for 2, seeming to grasp the moment. Then Josh Heupel called timeout and Napier lost his nerve.
Florida kicked the extra point, and Tennessee made the plays it needed to win in overtime.
Scared money lost another rivalry game — the 9th rivalry game loss (LSU 2, Tennessee 2, Georgia 2, Miami 1, FSU 2) for Napier in 10 rivalry opportunities for him at Florida.
That’s simply not good enough at Florida.
A straight shooter and outstanding person, there’s no question that Napier has taken ownership of that reality.
Florida’s administration will have to act on it soon, too.
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