Always the same story for Napier: Another game, another drama

(Photo by Chris Spears)

Standing on the running board of her F150 she took one final drag off a cigarette burned down to the filter. Exhaling as she threw the butt onto the Flavet Field grass, she shook her head and asked out loud, “Why can’t he win a football game like a normal coach? Why does it always have to be like this?”

She was vetting her frustration. She already knew the answer when her cracking voice verbalized the question. Billy Napier had once again turned what should have been an easy Florida victory into a clutch your chest because you think you’re about to have a close encounter with Saint Peter at the pearly gates affair.

For four years it has been this way. No win or no loss, it seems, is without its share of drama. White knuckles wins and losses haven’t been the exception for Napier. They are the rule, sort of an unwritten requirement that leave you shaking your head and wondering out loud why it seems Napier spends more time trying not to lose than playing to win.   

It was like that against Mississippi State Saturday.

In taking out the Bulldogs, 23-21, on a breezy evening at The Swamp, Napier and the Gators offered the Bulldogs enough of a lifeline that they were a running play up the gut away from their first Southeastern Conference win since they beat Arkansas, 7-3, back on October 21, 2023. It was second-and-10 at the Florida 29, well within the range of placekicker Kyle Ferrie. There were 29 seconds remaining, more than enough time to run a play, line up, spike the ball and bring on the field goal unit.

That’s what should have happened except for one teensy problem. Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby felt the urge to go for something big rather than something with a lot less pizazz.

In a rather macabre way, it was almost like Lebby felt an obligation to out-Napier Billy. The safe call was a run that would gain a yard or two and give Ferrie a straight on shot at a game winning field goal. Instead of safe, Lebby had Blake Shapen throwing the ball when the situation called for a run. Maybe it seemed like a good idea at the moment.

Florida went with a zone blitz that dropped the tackles into the throwing lane. With Myles Graham bearing down on him, Shapen threw the ball straight into the hands of Michai Boireau, all 6-5 and 349 or so pounds of him. Making the first interception he’s had since he was in high school, Florida’s big sophomore snagged the ball and returned it five yards.

Once tackled, Boireau ran off the field holding the ball high, almost a symbol of defiance to a crowd that had been chanting “Fire Billy! Fire Billy” just moments before. The interception more than made up for Napier’s third down blunder of a call that put the outcome of the game in peril in the first place. That one happened back at the Florida 34 with just under two minutes remaining. Third-and-1 and Jadan Baugh, all 230 pounds of him in the backfield. A no brainer, right? DJ Lagway hands the ball to Baugh, who already had run for 150 yards. The pile moves and so do the sticks. First down Gators. Game over for all practical purposes.

Nothing could be easier than that. Right? That’s what should have been done.

So why was a pass play called? What was the urgency to make a big play when something simple would have worked just fine?

Okay, maybe that’s a play call that Steve Spurrier would make, but Spurrier could draw up plays in the dirt on the spur of the moment that would work. Spurrier had a penchant for the spectacular in the least expected moments. When Billy Napier tries to pull the same thing off we wind up with one of those scared money don’t make money moments.

From the moment Lagway took the snap he was under duress. Rolling right there was no one to throw to and two Mississippi State defenders were bearing down on him. Lagway didn’t even risk throwing the ball away even though he was outside the tackle box. Instead he took a 7-yard sack after which Mississippi State called its final time out with 1:47 left in the game.

This was more than a lifeline for Mississippi State. This was a defibrillator for a heart about to stop beating.

For the Gators this was a ghost of fourth-and-dumb, yet Napier was unfazed. He saw nothing wrong with the play call.

“Very similar like the third-and-1 earlier in the game,” Napier explained after the game. “We called a movement pass, hit Aidan Mizell. Talking about maybe should have ran it on that one, too. We're not, 'cause it worked. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't work.”

The pass to Mizell happened on the final play of the first quarter. On third-and-1 at the Mississippi State 49 Lagway hooked up with Mizell for a 12-yard gain. Two plays later the Gators scored a touchdown on a 19-yard run by Baugh.

So yes, the call worked once before but the game wasn’t on the line then. Second time around, Mississippi State was all over the play. Sort of a been there, done that, you won’t fool me twice moment.

It is moments like this that have been so confounding about Napier. When he needs to go conventional, he gambles. When he needs to gamble, he goes conventional. A week ago he gambled on fourth down when he should have punted against Texas A&M. A couple of weeks before against Miami he punted when he should have tried a long field goal.

In a nutshell, that is the story of Billy Napier’s 45-game career as Florida’s football coach. Too many times with the outcome of games coming down to a single decision, Napier has consistently made the wrong choice.

When he made the wrong choice Saturday Napier was bailed out by Boireau’s interception. Too many times in the past there has been no bailout play. Napier is 22-23 at Florida. The bulk of those losses came down to one or two bad decisions late in the game. Winning one of those in spite of yourself games at Homecoming in what might have been his final game as Florida’s head coach had plenty to do with why Napier was nearly overcome by emotions as he answered a question about a future that hangs by a strand of dental floss.

He knows the end is near. For all we know, athletic director Scott Stricklin might have already informed Napier that he can expect the 50 percent installment of his $20 million buyout to be electronically transferred to his bank account within 30 days. It is no longer if Billy Napier will be fired, simply a matter of when.

“I love the game of football,” Napier said, his voice and demeanor so close to being overwhelmed by the circumstances. He gathered himself long enough to take a deep breath then said, “I love the game.”

There is no question Napier loves the game, loves his players and his players love him. He is everything you want in a football coach from Sunday to Friday. He treats his players like men, builds them up from the inside and has turned his football team into a model of decorum. That is commendable. Unfortunately, he is judged by what happens on Saturday and not for all the good done the rest of the week.

Back at Flavet Field with smoke pouring out her nose and mouth as she spoke, the woman with the F150 paused before climbing into the cab. In a raspy voice she offered up this commentary about Billy Napier: “He gets paid $7.2 million dollars a year – point two for being a father figure to his players, $7 million to win on Saturday.

“We’ve had too much point two, not enough $7 million if you ask me.”

SEC FOOTBALL

No. 4 Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0 SEC) 45, Arkansas (2-5, 0-3 SEC) 42: Rueben Owens scored on a 12-yard run in the fourth quarter to help keep the 4^th-ranked Aggies unbeaten at 7-0. After Arkansas cut the Aggies’ lead to 38-35 with a little more than 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Marcel Reed led A&M on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with the TD run by Owens. Although the Aggies struggled to stop the Razorbacks throughout the game, they were able to slow them down enough that it took Arkansas 12 plays to drive 93 yards for a touchdown that cut the final margin to three points. Reed played like an All-SEC quarterback completing 23-32 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns while running for 55 more and another TD. The Aggies pounded out 217 yards on the ground while controlling the clock for 33:48. Arkansas racked up 527 yards of offense led by Taylen Green, the national leader in total offense.  Green completed 19-32 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 85 more and another TD.

No. 6 Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC) 37, No. 11 Tennessee (5-2, 3-2 SEC) 20: Alabama won its sixth straight game and fourth straight against a ranked team to take down Tennessee, which was held more than 100 yards below its season average in yards per game by a defense that got a pick six from Zabien Brown and four sacks of Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar including one by Yhonzae Pierre for -9 yards for a second quarter safety. Ty Simpson completed 19-29 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over. This was a bend but don’t break game for the Alabama defense, which gave up 410 yards but got tough in the red zone where the Vols were just 2-5. Alabama, meanwhile, scored touchdowns in all four of its trips to the red zone. The Vols got 268 passing yards from QB Joey Aguilar and 123 on the ground from DeSean Bishop but the same offense that had been leaving teams exhausted in previous games could only nickel and dime Alabama.

No. 9 Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) 43, No. 5 Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1 SEC) 35: Georgia outscored Ole Miss 17-0 in the fourth quarter to rally from a 35-26 deficit, handing Ole Miss its first loss of the season. Gunner Stockton, who threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns while running for 59 and another TD, threw two fourth quarter touchdown passes to lead the comeback. Stockton finished the game by completing 26-31 passes. The difference in the game was Georgia’s ability to run the ball (221 yards) and control the clock (37:39-22:21). Ole Miss scored five touchdwns, more than enough to win the game, but the defense couldn’t get off the field and failed to force even one punt the entire game.

No. 14 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1 SEC) 26, South Carolina (3-4, 1-4) 7: Oklahoma’s defense had six sacks for -53 yards, picked off two passes and got a fourth quarter safety. South Carolina managed only 224 yards, just 54 on the ground. Oklahoma didn’t exactly set the world on fire offensively, managing only 319 yards, but the Sooners controlled the ball on the ground (170 yards) and didn’t turn it over. Tory Blaylock ran for 101 yards and a TD and Xavier Robinson ran for 58 and added another touchdown. John Mateer didn’t have a spectacular game (18-26, 150 yards) but he was efficient and that’s all the Sooners needed.

No. 16 Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC) 23, Auburn (3-4, 0-4 SEC) 17, 2 OT: Beau Pribula’s 3-yard touchdown run in the second overtime lifted Missouri past Auburn. Auburn had a chance to tie the game and send to a third overtime, but Jackson Arnold’s fourth down pass to Jeremiah Wright came up a yard short. Auburn played well enough defensively to win the game, but couldn’t get help from the offense. The Tigers picked off two Pribula passes, held Ahmad Hardy to 58 yards on 24 carries and sacked the Mizzou quarterback three times. Auburn’s Jeremiah Cobb ran for 111 yards including a 41-yard gain, but the Tigers couldn’t sustain drives nor could they protect Arnold, who was sacked five times.

No. 17 Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1 SEC) 31, No. 10 LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC) 24: As if the Commodores needed to prove they are for real, they grabbed a 10-point lead on a Diego Pavia touchdown run at the end of the third quarter then held on to take down 10^th-ranked LSU. cored on a 21-yard run with 27 seconds remaining in the third quarter to give Vanderbilt a 10-point lead (31-21) and the Commodores held on in the fourth to score

No. 21 Texas (5-2, 2-1 SEC) 16, Kentucky (2-4, 0-4 SEC) 13, OT: Texas stuffed Kentucky on fourth-and-goal from inside the one in overtime, then got a 45-yard field goal by Mason Shipley to stave off an upset in Lexington. Texas was outplayed the entire game by the Kentucky defense, which held the Longhorns to 47 rushing yards and only 132 through the air. Arch Manning averaged only 4.9 yards per pass attempt. Kentucky had forced overtime on a 45-yard field goal by Jacob Kauwe with nine seconds left in the fourth quarter.

NEXT SATURDAY

No. 4 Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0 SEC) at No. 10 LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC)

No. 5 Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1 SEC) at No. 14 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1 SEC)

No. 6 Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC) at South Carolina (3-4, 1-4 SEC)

No. 11 Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC) at Kentucky (2-4, 0-4 SEC)

No. 16 Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC) at No. 17 Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1 SEC)

No. 21 Texas (5-2, 2-1 SEC) at Mississippi State (4-3, 0-3 SEC)

Auburn (3-4, 0-4 SEC) at Arkansas (2-5, 0-3 SEC)