UF's Napier vows better after 'embarrassing' loss

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida coach Billy Napier called his team’s 41-17 loss to Miami on Saturday “embarrassing,” offering no excuses while vowing to get the problems fixed.

Napier already faced scrutiny heading into his third season, after going 11-14 in his first two and failing to make a bowl game last year. That scrutiny is sure to grow after a performance in which the Gators were outcoached and outplayed.

“It’s embarrassing, to be quite honest with you,” Napier said. “That’s how I feel. That’s how our kids feel. There’s no excuses. Keep our mouths shut, show up and work. We have to do better. I do think that our players will show up and they will respond.”

Miami dominated in every area, rolling up 529 yards of offense while physically handling the Gators up front. Meanwhile, the Florida offense struggled for a majority of the day, then played the fourth quarter without starting quarterback Graham Mertz, who was knocked out of the game with a concussion.

Napier said Mertz is in concussion protocol and his status would be updated next week. Freshman DJ Lagway, the No. 8 player in the ESPN 300 in the class of 2024, came in and showed promise, leading a touchdown drive, but by then it was too late.

“I felt strongly that we would perform better,” Napier said. “But I’m not here to make excuses. We’ve got to get it fixed. We’re going to get another opportunity next week, and we’ve got to play better and coach better.”

Fans started clearing out of the Swamp in the third quarter. Late in the fourth quarter, as the stadium was emptying, one fan could be heard shouting in the concourse, “Fire Billy!” Napier said he would have to make sure to guard his team from getting caught up in the negativity that comes with a loss to an in-state rival.

Beyond the negativity, though, are the continued questions about whether Napier will remain as head coach.

“We’ll have to navigate it,” Napier said. “We’ve got to be men and we’ve got to show some maturity. Ultimately, if you care about the team, you’ll show up and work hard at your job. I think this group will do that. But we can’t control that. It’s part of the job, and it’s part of their responsibility to the team.”

Napier had been adamant throughout the offseason that this was the best team he has had since his arrival in 2022, and praised the return of Mertz. But for much of the day, the Gators were overwhelmed. Florida was 1-of-9 on third down. Apart from a 75-yard touchdown run from Montrell Johnson Jr., Florida had 64 yards rushing on 27 carries. Mertz was 11-of-20 for 91 yards with an interception.

Despite the performance, Napier said, “We’ll prove over time that we can play better than that.”

“I still have confidence in our team,” he said. “I think we’ve made progress. Today is disappointing, not only for myself but for the entire team and organization and for our fans and for all the people that care about this place. Like I said before, I’ve got conviction about the young men that we have on our team. I think we have better football in us. But we have to go prove that.”