Florida Football Friday Final: Gators, Billy Napier face must-win at Mississippi State … just to stay relevant
There are only so many opportunities the Florida Gators have remaining to win football games this season. One on of those comes Saturday afternoon as they visit the the Mississippi State Bulldogs, which just got destroyed 41-17 at home by the Toledo Rockets last week.
Embattled head coach Billy Napier knows his time is running out in Gainesville, Florida, and while fans vociferously called for his firing coming out of last week’s loss, Napier remaining in his post with the Gators does make sense. There are two off weeks and nine games remaining on Florida’s schedule. Would the Gators actually have a better chance to win with Ron Roberts, for example, leading them into battle each week?
Florida’s best option, as much as fans may not want to hear it, is likely leaving Napier in his post through Oct. 19 ahead of the second off week. If he can make it that long. The Gators may not have many winnable games left, but Napier likely gives them the best chance despite his limited shelf life. (Only Gators previously broke down the obstacles with jettisoning Napier and moving forward in season.)
Regardless, last week’s pathetic performance — and the somehow-disappointing start to a season that already featured greatly reduced expectations — required addressing at the onset of the week.
“Everything that happens within our team and organization is my responsibility,” Napier said matter-of-factly. “… The film is a combination of mental errors, fundamental and technique issues and some decision making. … It’s one thing to know, but we also have to go apply. … We have to take a good look in the mirror of our weekly process. I do think there are no excuses, no place for blame. Responsibility, accountability is the only option here. The most important thing, and I told the players after the game Saturday, is that they stick together.”
Napier said there have been no discussions about his future within the athletic program, and he “100%” believes there is a path to earning a fourth season in orange & blue if the team can figure out a way to gain some momentum while playing the nation’s most difficult schedule. That is going to be tough to execute, of course, given Florida is missing three wide receivers, three defensive backs and three defensive linemen already entering Week 4.
Most concerning was how Napier addressed the most significant issues on the team.
Asked why the defense was still abhorrent with endless blown coverages and pass-rush issues despite having a third coordinator in as many seasons and numerous transfer portal additions, he started listing the issues he observed on film over the weekend. By the time Napier finished speaking, he pointed out lacking gap integrity, inability to win the edges, mental errors, fundamental technique issues, missed tackles and dropped assignments — in other words, every facet of defensive football.
The offensive line, with its two coaches and lacking talent despite having two recruiters, suffered from “fundamentals, techniques, footwork, hat position [and] hand placement” – again, everything. Regarding the offensive playcalling that remains unimaginative with an unsuccessful run game and too many pass plays in the offensive backfield? That’s on the players, apparently. “Some good, some bad. Ultimately to me, what I’ve observed on tape it’s more about execution, more about decision making, fundamentals. That hasn’t necessarily been the biggest issue,” Napier said.
Despite all of that, yes, somehow, Napier still remains the best option to man the whistle for the next few weeks at least. As long as he is at least winning the few games that remain possible successes for the Gators.
“I don’t feel like I don’t have the answers,” Napier said. “… The No. 1 motivator, to me, is to be able to look that group in the eye and see their work pay off. That’s what I’m consumed with, to be quite honest with you. There’s nothing more important to me than that. Ultimately, as a coach, that’s why I do what I do. I want hard work to be beneficial. I want the work to pay off, and I think the caliber of football is going to get to where we want it to be, where I want it to be, so that they get that return.”
What’s the plan at quarterback?
Though redshirt senior Graham Mertz has not played as well as he did in 2023 — and freshman DJ Lagway took a step back against real competition after absolutely dominating Samford two weeks ago — Napier remains confident in his signal callers entering the Gators’ first road game of the season. And he has a right to be. Mertz flashed in the second half getting back in a rhythm, and Lagway has the ability to impact games any time he steps on the field.
Napier confirmed this week that he is “committed to playing both players” remaining pleased at how they have handled working together in practice. He said the rotation in Week 3 was intentional, but it appears as if Florida may be more flexible with substitution patterns going forward.
“The approach we’ve taken kind of gets DJ involved early and then we kind of leave it open-ended after that. That’s the commitment there,” he said. “So, both halves are that way. That’s ultimately what we decided to do.”
That was not necessarily the case last week as Mertz and Lagway rotated every possession. This after Lagway did not play in Week 1 until Mertz was concussed and knocked out of the game.
“We tried to define it for them so they weren’t looking over their shoulder, and I think that worked,” Napier explained about the Week 3 rotation. “… Both understand the dynamic. Both of them can help our team. … One of the keys is that we have to play well around both these guys, and we have to have some form of balance. That’s the whole key. We got to play efficient on first and second down, stay out of the passing downs, and then we have to have some balance.”
On why Florida performs better in practices than in games: “There is [truth to] some of that. I would say players voice that as well. It’s one thing to know; it’s another thing to apply. … That applies to about everything that we do. But in football, it’s the case as well. You have to go execute in the moment. You have to go apply what you learned.”
On keeping the locker room insulated from raised temperatures: “It’s never going to go away. It’s going to be they love you if you win and hate you if you lose, right? Doesn’t matter if we were at Buchholz High School right down the road. We have to have some type of internal standard and objectiveness to what we do. It has to be just as frustrating, if not more, I would say. I have personal objectives. I have expectations. … I don’t think there is anything that’s more motivating to me than proving it, you know? And making people proud. … This place has been — it’s got great history and tradition. You want to get it back there. It’s one of the reasons you take the job and accept the challenge.”
On whether players are checked out: “We haven’t had that problem. I’m not saying we wouldn’t have that problem going forward, but I would tell you, we haven’t had that issue. We got a group that shows up, and again, [Monday] we have had two lift groups today and it’s pedal to the metal in there. They’re ready to go.”
On poor safety play killing the defense: “Asa [Turner] being down, really, we’ve been a little bit banged up at Star, too, Sharif [Denson]’s been out. [Aaron] Gates has been starting for two weeks ago. … Being on the same page, that’s the No. 1 ingredient for success. We have to communicate. We have to allow that urgency, and we have to all be on the same page.”
On the cowbell noise at Mississippi State: “I’ve been to Starkville many times, and ultimately it’s a challenging place to play. They’ve got a passionate fan base, and it’s a rowdy environment. Anywhere you go in this league, there’s no cupcake out there. So, the challenge of the venue and the passion of the fan base, and then certainly the talent on the field is always a challenge.”
On Florida not getting off to fast starts in games: “It’s a key to winning football, just in general. If you look at the analytics, there’s a huge emphasis on starting fast. It’s an area in particular for us on offense where we have had some success in the past, and we’ve got to get back to that. We’ve typically been able to get going early. We need to do that.”
On the Gators’ improved special teams: “It’s a bright spot. It’s probably what we’re doing best right now, truth be known. The film’s impressive, the fundamentals and techniques, the organization and the production. We’ve done a good job controlling the vertical field position in the game. Our specialists are really good, and they’re performing well.”
On staying positive in the face of adversity: “Every season has its challenges — even when you maybe are having tremendous success and then you fall short of a conference championship or you lose a rivalry game at the end of the year or you lose the bowl game. Over time, there’s a certain resiliency and toughness that come from the game.”
Florida vs. Mississippi State prediction, pick, preview: Where to watch, TV channel, game time, odds, spread
Florida Football Friday Final: Gators, Billy Napier face must-win at Mississippi State … just to stay relevant