Billy Gonzales brings energy, sense of urgency for Florida football

(UAA Photo)

“You won’t have Richard Nixon to kick around anymore.” – Richard Nixon, 1962

That was Nixon conceding the California gubernatorial race to Pat Brown but as we know, he resurfaced six years later as president of the United States.

Billy Napier can relate. He’s been fired so Florida fans won’t have him to kick around anymore. Chances are, like Nixon, he will resurface as someone’s head coach at some point in the future. But it won’t be at Florida.

In the meantime, football goes on at Florida. Billy Gonzales is the interim head coach and there are whispers coming out of the Florida camp that practices have been high energy. From multiple sources, former Gator All-American Brandon Spikes has become the Minister of Intensity and the injection of his high energy level has turned the pall of Napier’s dismissal into a feeling of opportunity that has been contagious.

Gonzales is selling hope as the Gators prep for Georgia next week. The Gators (3-4, 2-2 SEC) can still get to a bowl game. That might sound like low hanging fruit but to be where they are both emotionally and in 4-loss reality, getting to a bowl game would rank as a serious accomplishment. Even the Birmingham Bowl or the Weedwacker.

So, there is incentive to play well.

Gonzales won’t oversee a wholesale change to the offense. It’s too late in the season to install a brand new scheme, but what he can do is alter the way the plays have been called. Billy G is the wide receivers coach and he knows he has serious talent at his disposal. So why not use it by heaving the ball around the yard a bit more?

QB coach Ryan O’Hara will be calling the plays. He will be in the booth sitting beside offensive coordinator Russ Callaway, who used to call the plays for Chris Hatcher at Samford. Hatcher comes from the Hal Mumme coaching tree. Mumme’s offenses are the forerunner of the Air Raid.

While it is too late in the season to overhaul the offensive schemes, it’s not too late to take on a new offensive identity. If Billy Gonzales can give the Gators a new sense of offensive purpose, the talent is there to turn the Gators dangerous, something Napier promised but never delivered.

SEC FOOTBALL

No. 3 Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0 SEC) at No. 20 LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC): This is Brian Kelly’s last stand. A loss to the Aggies and it will mark a fourth straight year Kelly has failed to get LSU into the College Football Playoff. The Tiger faithful have grown weary but do they have $53.3 million to spare? That’s what it will take to buy him out. Even if Kelly gets a win against the Aggies, there are still four games remaining and that means four more opportunities to go down in flames. The Aggies, meanwhile, are living the good life, ranked higher than they’ve been in decades. Recent history says they’re due to nosedive. Have they hit the wall? Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night is one of college football’s most intimidating venues. For this one the LSU people have been arriving in Baton Rouge since Wednesday and by Saturday night they’ll be fully greased and ready to raise hell. A white knuckler all the way but the LSU crowd is going to have a say in who wins. The pick: LSU 

No. 4 Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC) at South Carolina (3-4, 1-4 SEC): A year ago this would have been a trap game, but this is 2025 and not 2024. LaNorris Sellers isn’t the same QB who was everybody’s nightmare a year ago. The nightmare QB this year is Bama’s Ty Simpson, who has thrown 18 TDPs and just one pick. He’s going to be on the Heisman podium. Sellers is not. Alabama is favored by 11.5 points which seems rather low. The Tide is built to cover because South Carolina has a bottom five offense. Another loss and the Shane Beamer to Virginia Tech noise is going to take on deafening proportions. The pick: Alabama

No. 8 Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1 SEC) at No. 13 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1 SEC): A loss won’t eliminate either team from the hunt to get into the College Football Playoff, but the schedule favors Ole Miss from here on out. For Oklahoma, this is the first game of a gauntlet of games against ranked teams. That’s serious pressure. Oklahoma has the best defense in the country and the best pass rush (28 sacks). Ole Miss ranks among the national leaders in protecting the quarterback. This one might come down to which quarterback does the best job breaking out of the pocket and extending plays. John Mateer hasn’t been the same since breaking his thumb. With the exception of a poor fourth quarter against Georgia, Trinidad Chambliss has been brilliant, accounting for 13 touchdowns (5 with his legs). Ole Miss will generate enough of a running game to help Chambliss. Oklahoma can’t do the same for Mateer. Oklahoma is favored by 5.5 points. The pick: Ole Miss

No. 15 Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC) at No. 10 Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1 SEC): Figure this is an elimination game for both teams. The winner remains in the hunt for the College Football Playoff. The loser can still avoid the dreaded Birmingham Bowl where the loser is required to spend an extra week in Birmingham. Both teams have motivation but Vanderbilt has the home field and it has quarterback Diego Pavia, who is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. Missouri has the No. 5 defense in the country. Do the Tigers have what it takes to neutralize Pavia? Vandy is a 2.5-point favorite but it seems the Commodores should be favored by more because Pavia, at home, has a way of working some magic. The pick: Vanderbilt

No. 17 Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC) at Kentucky (2-4, 0-3 SEC): A win over Tennessee would do wonders for Mark Stoops, who is hearing it from all sides that it’s time for him to seek gainful employment somewhere else. He’s the winningest coach in Kentucky history but wins have been hard to come by lately. Will the Wildcats take on a win one for the Stooper mode and give the Vols more than they can handle? Every game from here on out is desperation for the Vols. With two losses, both to top five teams, they can still get in the playoff if they run the table the rest of the way to finish 10-2. It should be close but the Vols have far more weapons. The pick: Tennessee

No. 22 Texas (5-2, 2-1 SEC) at Mississippi State (4-3, 0-3 SEC): A week ago, the vaunted Texas defense had all sorts of trouble getting Kentucky off the field. That game better have been an aberration because Mississippi State has a much better offense than Kentucky plus the Bulldogs have a pass defense that ranks sixth in the SEC in interceptions. Texas struggles to run the ball effectively so the Longhorns are going to need a big game from Arch Manning to escape the cowbell capital of the world with a win. A week ago Arch averaged only 4.9 yards per pass attempt against UK. It will take a lot more than that Saturday. Don’t be the least bit surprised if this one goes white knuckles until the very end. The Longhorns are better equipped to get a win. The pick: Texas

Auburn (3-4, 0-4 SEC) at Arkansas (2-5, 0-3 SEC): The winner of this game is assured of at least a temporary escape from the SEC cellar. Despite both teams doing an oh-fer so far in SEC play, much is at stake. For Auburn coach Hugh Freeze it might be a lifeline because his job is currently hanging by the flimsiest of threads. For interim Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino a win helps his cause to become the permanent coach. Hugh has the defense, Bobby has the offense. The immovable object vs. the irresistible force. Notre Dame is the only team to shut down the Arkansas offense this season. The Razorbacks are fortunate that Auburn has the next-to-last offense in the SEC (No. 109 nationally) so outscoring the Tigers shouldn’t be all that difficult. And, advantage to the Hogs since the game is in Fayette Nam. The pick: Arkansas