Billy Napier, Florida not making excuses after loss to Kentucky
In Saturday’s loss to the Kentucky Wildcats, the Florida Gators did not play well, to put it nicely. And head coach Billy Napier is well aware of how poorly his team played. When addressing the media on Monday, the Gators headman did not make any excuses for his team, the players, or himself following the loss.
“So, I think, for me, let’s not make this any more complicated than it is,” said Napier. “We lost the football game because they rushed for 9.2 a carry, (and) we rushed 3.41 a carry. We turned the ball over four times, if you count the turnover on downs and the penalty on special teams. They turned it over 0. We lost the explosive battle, we lost the hidden yardage battle, and we lost the penalty battle. We know what winning football looks like, and certainly Saturday wasn’t it.
“There’s no sugarcoating; there’s no excuse. All we can do is evaluate it for what it is and do better the next time. So, I’m not up here to make excuses or talk about it. There’s nobody that wants to have more success than this group of players. And ultimately, I feel responsibility to do a better job for them. It’s that simple.”
The Florida defense got run over by the Kentucky offense, allowing the Wildcats a whopping 329 rushing yards. More than quintupling the Gators’ 69 yards rushing. Most of the damage from the Kentucky backfield came courtesy of running back Ray Davis. Davis had 26 of the Wildcats’ 36 rushing attempts, 280 of their 329 rushing yards, and all three of their touchdowns on the ground.
For the Gators offense, it was a different story for them on the ground. Florida had 29 carries for just 69 yards and no rushing touchdowns. Running backs Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson both recorded double-digit carries but failed to find any rhythm in the game. Quarterback Graham Mertz was efficient through the air but not enough to overcome Florida’s defensive struggles. He finished the game, completing 25 of his 30 pass attempts for 244 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Napier expects his Florida squad to have a bounce-back performance at home against the Vanderbilt Commodores this Saturday. This game is vital for the Gators’ season and SEC championship hopes. Not only that, but it is also the University’s homecoming game. ESPN’s matchup predictor currently gives Florida an 88.1 percent chance of victory Saturday in the swamp. Kick-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT and can be viewed on the SEC Network or the ESPN App.