Once more another winnable game goes into the Gators' loss column

(Photo courtesy of UAA)

LSU 20, Florida 10. Another very winnable game with an all-too familiar result. In case you are counting, this is the 21^st loss in the 41-game Florida coaching career of Billy Napier. It is also the 11^th loss of the 21 that could be categorized as a giveaway. If the Gators could simply avoid the rash of mistakes that prevents them from winning far too often, Billy Napier would be sitting pretty these days.

Instead, it seems that it’s only a matter of time before Scott Stricklin and the powers that be at the University of Florida get with Napier’s lawyers to negotiate a buyout. With a roadie against 5^th-ranked Miami, 7^th-ranked Texas following an open date, and then another roadie against 16^th-ranked Texas A&M, it seems it is a matter of when not if Napier walks away with somewhere in the neighborhood of $22 million.

When that happens, all hell breaks loose for the seventh time since Steve Spurrier shocked the college football world by walking away from the Gators on January 5, 2002, ending the most successful 12-year run in school history (122-27-1). Of the six coaching changes since Spurrier, only Urban Meyer walked away on his own volition. Four others have been fired. When and if Napier is a goner, he would be the fifth fired coach since 2001 and the fourth since 2011. Three games into his fourth season at UF, Napier is now within six losses of what it took Spurrier 12 years to accumulate.

Already, message boards are filling up with demands that Stricklin pull the plug on Napier now and with speculation who’s next and how much is it going to take to lure him to Gainesville?

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Napier was a hot commodity when he was hired from Louisiana in December of 2022 to succeed Dan Mullen, fired after going 34-15 in four seasons. Sun Belt success hasn’t translated into wins on the Southeastern Conference level. The way the Gators ended the 2024 season with four straight wins, everyone thought Napier had the Florida program on firm enough footing that championship seasons were no longer distant blips on some radar screen.

Those four wins, however, have been nothing more than an overdose of novocaine that leaves us feeling like we do when we leave the dentist, afraid to drink even though we’re thirsty because our lips and tongue are so numb.

The Gators are now 1-2 after this loss and only the most optimistic among us can foresee wins on the immediate horizon. Next Saturday night in Miami it’s the 5^th-ranked Hurricanes who blew the doors off the same South Florida team that beat the Gators at The Swamp last week. Follow that up with an open date, then 7^th-ranked Texas at home and 16^th-ranked Texas A&M in College Station.  

Doesn’t look promising does it? The next three games after the Aggies don’t look so appealing either. Mississippi State is off to a 3-0 start and playing substantially better than last year. Kentucky is always a beast for the Gators in Lexington. And then there is 6^th-ranked Georgia, which found a way to finagle an overtime win over Tennessee in Knoxville Saturday afternoon.

There is no good time to fire a football coach, but after these last two games, Jeremy Foley’s famous quote “What must be done eventually must be done immediately” seems to be making the rounds of Gator Nation at a rather frantic pace. Do the people who write the checks tell Stricklin the money is in the bank, go ahead and pink slip Napier? Do they need more time to gather the necessary financial resources? Is it best to do it now or following the Miami game since there is an open date?

To fire Napier after game four would give underclassmen a chance to bag the season and take a redshirt. That’s a real problem and don’t think for a nanosecond that the people who will ultimately make the decision haven’t thought about it.

Another important question: Who on the current staff could take over as head coach and do anything more than toot a whistle at practice and run out of the tunnel ahead of the team nine more games? That question alone is one that should have Stricklin pacing the floor while hoping for a divine revelation to get the program through troubled times with the least amount of damage.

Stricklin just got a lengthy contract extension. He’s an outstanding fund raiser and he deserves plenty of credit for hiring basketball coach Todd Golden, who won an NCAA title in year three and seems to have the Gators poised to be a major player on the national scene for years to come. If and when he fires Napier, Stricklin will be hiring his THIRD football coach since Jim McElwain lied his way out of a job in 2017. Three coaches in eight years, not exactly one of the great track records.

Do the big money boosters have enough faith in Stricklin that they will abide by his judgment even if it means keeping Napier the rest of the season? Or will they turn on him? It wouldn’t be the first time an athletic director faced the wrath of his money people.

Seeing Napier unable to get his team to eliminate the kind of mistakes that prevent winning is painful. He’s one of the nicest people you would want to meet, the kind of mentor that you would wish for your own kids, but being nice and turning Florida’s football culture into a model of decorum has not translated into enough wins. In part, the lack of success is Napier’s own doing. Louisiana was a scale model of what it takes to win at a place like Florida so while Napier could keep a thumb on everything in Lafayette, it has been like a dike with more holes than he has fingers in Gainesville.

Florida’s playcalling is stale and predictable. DJ Lagway threw five interceptions against LSU, the most any UF quarterback has thrown in a game in 33 years. Four of the five picks were thrown into multiple coverages. The 58-yard interception return for a third quarter touchdown was simply a great play on the ball, but even that throw seemed telegraphed. As was the case against South Florida, Lagway’s footwork seemed in disarray, which begs the question who’s teaching him fundamentals. He’s a serious talent but shouldn’t serious talents get serious coaching?

The offensive line was supposed to be a strength of the team and perhaps the best in the SEC but through three games the struggles are obvious. For the second straight week penalties slowed the offense to a crawl. In the first quarter, a holding call on Hayden Hansen turned what would have been second-and-three at the LSU 36 into first and 20 at the UF 47. Three plays later on third and long – and obvious passing down – Lagway threw into triple coverage for the first of his picks.

The second and most egregious of the penalties was a hold on Knijeah Harris that nullified an 87-yard Lagway to Jadan Baugh touchdown with 3:46 remaining in the first quarter that would have put the Gators up two scores.

In the third quarter, the Gators were moving the ball when guard Rod Kearney was flagged for a hold that nullified a 5-yard Lagway to Hayden pass. Rather than third-and-five at the LSU 36, it was third-and-20 at the UF 49. Two plays later Lagway was picked off by Dashawn Spears, who sprinted 58 yards for a TD that made it 20-10.

Late in the third quarter, Harris got nailed for holding again. Instead of third-and-five at the LSU 46 it was second and 20 at the UF 42. Once again, playing way behind the sticks snuffed out a potential scoring drive.

Florida allowed three sacks and at least four quarterback pressures with most of LSU’s pressure coming over the guards. Florida has been rotating four guards and can’t seem to find two that can play.

In the fourth quarter, with the game still within reach, Lagway was picked off twice. The Gators had third-and-nine at the LSU 36 when Lagway threw into double coverage in the end zone where it was intercepted. The last interception was with 2:07 remaining in the game. On first and 10 at the LSU 39, Lagway’s short pass to Aidan Mizell was picked off, ending any chance the Gators might come from behind.

The Florida defense only gave up only one offensive touchdown, 316 yards and 10 first downs. LSU managed to convert only 4-14 on third down. Despite no sacks and just one quarterback hurry, the Gators allowed only 220 passing yards.

In Napier’s three-plus seasons, it’s always one breakdown or another in the losses. When the Gators score enough points, the defense goes belly up. When the defense shows up, the offense self-destructs.

This was supposed to be the year all those problems were in the past, but it’s the same old, same old. If Yogi were alive he would say it’s déjà vu all over again.

SEC FOOTBALL

No. 6 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) 44, No. 15 Tennessee (2-1, 0-1 SEC) 38, OT: Following a false start with three seconds remaining in regulation, Tennessee’s Max Gilbert pushed a 43-yard field goal attempt wide right sending the Vols’ game with No. 6 Georgia into overtime. Once in the extra period, Gilbert kicked a 42-yard field goal, but Georgia responded with a game-winning touchdown run by Josh McCray. Gunner Stockton threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns, plus ran for another TD. UT quarterback Joey Aguilar threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns but he was picked off twice.

No. 7 Texas (2-1) 27, UTEP (1-2) 10: Arch Manning had a poor game throwing the ball, completing less than 50 percent of his passes (11-25) for 114 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Manning did run nine times for 51 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Texas managed only 340 yards of offense. The Longhorns were favored by 40.5 points.

Vanderbilt (3-0, 1-0 SEC) 31, No. 11 South Carolina (2-1, 0-1 SEC) 7: South Carolina’s chances to beat Vanderbilt went down the drain when quarterback LaNorris Sellers was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the second quarter. Sellers took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Vandy linebacker Langston Patterson, who was ejected for targeting. It was a 7-7 score when Norris left the game. Vanderbilt scored the final 24 points, led by Diego Pavia, who finished the game with 177 passing yards and two touchdowns.

No. 13 Oklahoma (3-0) 42, Temple (2-1) 3: The name of this game was the Oklahoma defense, which held Temple to 78 passing yards, 26 on the ground and a 34-yard second quarter field goal. Offensively, OU quarterback John Mateer threw for 282 yards and a TD while running for 53 yards and another TD. Tory Blaylock ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

No. 16 Texas A&M (3-0) 41, No. 8 Notre Dame (0-2) 40: Marcel Reed’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Nate Boerkircher with 13 seconds remaining and the subsequent extra point by Randy Bond gave the Aggies an upset win over No. 8 Notre Dame in South Bend. Reed threw for 360 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Le’Veon Moss ran for 81 and three scores to keep the Aggies unbeaten and send Notre Dame to an 0-2 start. It was the Aggies first win on the road against a top 25 team since 2014.

No. 17 Ole Miss (3-0, 2-0 SEC) 41, Arkansas (2-1, 0-1 SEC) 35: Trinidad Chambers, who led Ferris State to the Division II national championship, got the start at quarterback when Austin Simmons (ankle) couldn’t answer the bell. Chambers responded by throwing for 353 yards and a touchdown while running 62 yards for two more. The Rebels needed a brilliant game from Chambers to offset Arkansas QB Taylen Green, who threw for 305 yards and a TD plus ran for 115 and another score.

No. 19 Alabama (2-1) 38, Wisconsin (2-1) 14: Ty Simpson torched the Wisconsin secondary for 382 passing yards and four touchdowns including two to Ryan Williams, who caught five passes for 165 yards. The Alabama defense, meanwhile, held Wisconsin to 209 total yards with four sacks and two interceptions.

No. 24 Auburn (3-0) 31, South Alabama (1-2) 15: Auburn’s offense was quite sluggish in the second half when the Tigers scored only three points and gained only 89 yards. Auburn managed only 17 yards in the fourth quarter. The Tigers ground out 195 yards with Jeremiah Cobb running for 119 and a TD. The passing game was quite inconsistent as Jackson Arnold went 13-24 for 142 yards (5.91 yards per attempt).

No. 25 Missouri (3-0) 52, Louisiana (1-2) 10: Ahmad Hardy ran for 250 yards including a 71-yard run and three touchdowns as Mizzou moved to 3-0. Marquise Davis ran for 113 yards and a TD. Missouri ran for 427 yards. QB Beau Pribula threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Mizzou offense piled up 606 yards. The Missouri defense limited the Ragin Cajuns to 121 yards, just four through the air on 2-14 completions.

Mississippi State (3-0) 63, Alcorn State (0-3) 0: Mississippi State improved to 3-0 behind a running attack that pounded Alcorn State for 282 yards and six touchdowns. QB Blake Shapen threw for two touchdowns and ran for one. The Mississippi State defense gave up only 155 yards and forced three turnovers while pitching a shutout.

Kentucky (2-1, 0-1 SEC) 48, Eastern Michigan (0-3) 23: Seth McGowan ran for 104 yards and three touchdowns, while Cutter Boley, starting in place of injured QB Zach Calzada, threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. The Kentucky defense was torched for 330 passing yards by Eastern Michigan QB Noah Kim.