Stiff upper lip and flying bullets: Billy Napier's Monday presser

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:

“I think ultimately a loss early can be a blessing if you don't waste it,” Billy Napier said Monday when he met the media.

That’s pretty much a stiff upper lip approach favored by military men who have to at least give the appearance of calm outwardly when their insides are churning with category five intensity. It might not be the words Florida fans want to hear after the Gators’ 41-17 season opening loss to 19th-ranked Miami, but nobody has to remind Napier that his team could be teetering on the verge of a disastrous season if they see anything but calm leadership in the face of a storm.

“There is no better learning experience than game experience,” he said. “I mean, there's an old military line: We can have a lecture about bullets flying, and we can talk about that for years, but when you're in there and the bullets are flying, I think that's the scenario where the consequences become real. 

“I played on championship teams. I've been a part as a coach on national championship teams, SEC championship teams, conference and division champions. Very rarely did we win every single game.”

The odds of an undefeated season were long to begin with. They’re gone forever after the Miami game, so the only choice for Napier and his coaches is to impart the right mentality on a team whose confidence might be fragile after the way they were manhandled by Miami.

“One thing I can say is we have a group that's working hard,” Napier said. “I do think that we have character. We got to go to work on the football part. I think we got to become a more consistent team and we have to execute better. If we can focus on those things and not necessarily what some guy in his basement is saying in rural central Florida on social media, then we got a chance to get better, right? I think that's the key.”

High character teams are a real blessing, but it’s best to have the football part down pat before taking on a team that has the personnel to not only win its conference championship but to also make a run in the College Football Playoff. It would have been so much simpler if the Gators could have opened the season with a team willing to take a beating in exchange for a paycheck that will keep the lights on. It’s much easier to iron out the kinks against a team that stands a two percent chance of beating you than one that wants to come into your place and beat you into submission with a tire iron.

That was Miami. Better coached. Better prepared. Polished. Angry. Although the Hurricanes filled the cracks in their foundation with an abundance of transfers, they played like a veteran team that has been together a long time.

The Gators played like a team still trying to figure things out.  

Napier is correct that early season losses can work in your favor, but only if they create a sense of urgency and focus within the entire organization. The Gators get Samford next in a paycheck game, then the SEC portion of the schedule begins with Texas A&M at home and a roadie with Mississippi State. If the Gators finish September 3-1 then it’s possible the first game loss can be that blessing Napier was talking about.

UF VOLLEYBALL: PARKS SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Setter Taylor Parks was selected SEC Freshman of the Week after 114 assists in three matches as the Gators opened their season with wins over Colorado State, Northern Colorado and Michigan State in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Gators, who moved up to No. 10 in the latest AVCA rankings, will host South Florida, Southern Indiana and Ohio State in the Florida Invitational starting Friday.

AVCA Top 25: 1. Texas 1-0; 2. Nebraska 3-0; 3. Pittsburgh 2-0; 4. Louisville 2-0; 5. Stanford 2-0; 6. Wisconsin 0-2; 7. Penn State 2-0; 8. Purdue 3-0; 9. Kentucky 3-1; 10. FLORIDA 3-0; 11. Creighton 3-0; 12. Oregon 1-1; 13. Kansas 3-0; 14. BYU 3-0; 15. Florida State 3-0; 16. Arizona State 3-0; 17. Tennessee 0-2; 18. Minnesota 0-1; 19. Georgia Tech 1-1; 20. Southern California 2-0; 21. Arkansas 3-0; 22. Dayton 2-0; 23. Baylor 3-0; 24. Marquette 1-0; 25. UCLA 2-0

SEC FOOTBALL

No. 5 Alabama (1-0): Kalen DeBoer has handled the pressure of following the legend quite nicely, but he hasn’t had a close call or a loss yet. When that happens he’s going to get sick of hearing “well this is how Nick would have done it.” … Safety Keon Sabb was selected SEC Defensive Player of the Week and wide receiver Ryan Williams was selected SEC Co-Freshman of the Week. Saturday’s game: South Florida (1-0)

Arkansas (1-0): Even though it was an outmanned Arkansas-Pine Bluff team the Razorbacks played in the season opener, it was easy to see the effect Bobby Petrino has on the Arkansas offense. The Hogs threw for 408 yards and ran for 279 … Fernando Carmona Jr. was selected SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week. Saturday’s game: at No. 17 Oklahoma State (1-0)

Auburn (1-0): Some of Auburn’s players used NIL money to contribute to 13 families to keep their children out of the foster care system … The Tigers still haven’t settled on a clear No. 1 left tackle among Dillon Wade and Percy Lewis. Saturday’s game: California (1-0)

No. 1 Georgia (1-0): Georgia’s defensive front seven are as physical as any in the country. They manhandled what was supposed to be a good Clemson O-line while holding the Tigers to 46 rushing yards on 23 attempts … Carson Beck was selected SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week and kicker Peyton Woodring was selected SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week. Saturday’s game: Tennessee Tech (0-1)

Kentucky (1-0): The Wildcats’ 31-0 win over Southern Miss in the season opener was called with 9:56 remaining in the third quarter due to several lightning delays. Saturday’s game: South Carolina (1-0)

No. 13 LSU (0-1): Brian Kelly’s post game rant after the Tigers lost to Southern California (27-20) chapped Paul Finebaum, who said, “It’s on Brian Kelly and don’t give me this I need to do a better job coaching. You’re paid $11 million to coach into the game and through it, not acting after the game.” Saturday’s game: Nicholls State (0-1)

Mississippi State (1-0): Defensive tackle Kalvin Dinkins, injured in the Bulldogs’ win over Eastern Kentucky, is listed day-to-day for Saturday’s road game to Arizona State. Saturday’s game: at Arizona State (1-0)

No. 11 Missouri (1-0): Wide receiver Theo Wease and tight end Brett Norfleet suffered minor injuries that caused them to miss the second half of the Tigers’ season opening win over Murray State but both are expected to play Saturday. Saturday’s game: Buffalo (1-0)

No. 16 Oklahoma (1-0): The Sooners averaged a pathetic 5.4 yards per pass attempt against Temple. They will find it hard to move the ball on SEC defenses if they can’t get the ball downfield better than that … Kicker Tyler Keltner was selected SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week. Saturday’s game: Houston (0-1)

No. 6 Ole Miss (1-0): Pro Football Focus gave Jaxson Dart the highest rating (95.7) of any quarterback in the nation. Dart threw for 418 yards and five touchdowns against Furman while playing just one half. Saturday’s game: Middle Tennessee State (1-0)

South Carolina (1-0): Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart were selected SEC Co-Defensive Linemen of the Week … True freshman Josiah Thompson (6-7, 300) will get the start at left tackle when the Gamecocks travel to Lexington Saturday. Saturday’s game: at Kentucky (1-0)

No. 15 Tennessee (1-0): The Vols have opened up as 6-point favorites for their neutral site game with North Carolina State … Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was selected SEC Co-Freshman of the Week. Saturday’s game: vs. No. 24 North Carolina State (1-0) in Charlotte

No. 4 Texas (1-0): Despite losing their top two running backs to season-ending injuries, the Longhorns still ran for 190 yards and three touchdowns in their win over Colorado State … Offensive lineman Cameron Williams was selected SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week. Saturday’s game: at No. 9 Michigan (1-0)

No. 20 Texas A&M (0-1): Starting center Mark Nabou Jr. is done for the season after suffering an injury in the Aggies’ loss to Notre Dame … The Notre Dame game drew 107,551 to Kyle Field. Saturday’s game: McNeese State (0-1)

Vanderbilt (1-0): Quarterback Diego Pavia was selected SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week … The Commodores overtime win over Virginia Tech broke a 10-game losing streak. Saturday’s game: Alcorn State (0-1)

FOOTBALL AROUND THE STATE

No. 10 Florida State (0-2): FSU’s ACC championship and College Football Playoff hopes are in the septic tank after Boston College hammered the Seminoles, 28-13. BC ran for 263 yards on what was supposed to be an outstanding FSU defense. Saturday’s game: Memphis (1-0)

No. 19 Miami (1-0): The Hurricanes have never made it to the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game but with FSU starting 0-2 (both league losses) and Clemson going belly up against Georgia in game one, they look like a lock to play for the title … DE Reuben Bain Jr. will miss at least a couple of weeks with a soft tissue injury suffered against Florida. Saturday’s game: Florida A&M (1-0)

UCF (1-0): Saturday’s game: UCF leads the nation in rushing after going off for 454 yards in their season opening win over New Hampshire. RJ Harvey led the Knights with 142 yards on 11 carries while Toledo transfer Peny Boone had 81 yards on seven carries. Sam Houston State (1-0)

South Florida (1-0): The Bulls, who had Alabama on the ropes last year in Tampa, have their work cut out for them this week in Tuscaloosa. Alabama put up 63 points and 600 yards in its season opening win over Western Kentucky. Saturday’s game: at No. 5 Alabama (1-0)

Florida Atlantic (0-1): The Owls couldn’t generate any offense in their 16-10 loss to Michigan State, generating only 248 yards (116 rushing, 132 passing). Saturday’s game: Army (1-0)

Florida International (0-1): The Golden Panthers generated only 53 yards in 30 rushing attempts in their 31-7 loss to Indiana. Saturday’s game: Central Michigan

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The fallout from the disintegration of the Pac-12 Conference continues. Washington State and Oregon State, who entered into a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference for 2024 couldn’t reach an agreement to extend the contract to 2025, a move that puts the two former Pac-12 schools in peril moving forward. They both need Division I opponents to fill out their schedules, but more important, they need a league.

When the Pac-12 broke up, Washington State and Oregon State came away with $265 million in severance. It was thought that the money could lure the Mountain West schools into a merger that could elevate the MWC into power conference status, but other than a 1-year scheduling agreement for 2024, the talks have been fruitless.

Without the extension of the scheduling arrangement, Washington State and Oregon State don’t have a full schedule of 2025 opponents. They will both have to scramble to fill their schedules and on such short notice that will be extremely difficult. Washington State and Oregon State were original members of the Pac-12. If they can’t find a conference they could become schools constantly in search of paycheck games to fill out their schedules.