Billy Napier points out penalties as issue against Vanderbilt

Entering the fourth quarter on Saturday, Florida found itself with a two-touchdown lead over Vanderbilt. The Gators weren’t quite able to break it open against the Commodores as Clark Lea’s group continued to hang around through three quarters.

According to head coach Billy Napier, Florida was in good position heading into the final 15 minutes. But there’s one area he wanted to see improve: penalties.

The Gators committed five penalties for 50 yards through three quarters. They got flagged two more times on their first drive of the quarter, which resulted in a field goal to go up 17 points on Vanderbilt. Napier pointed out the issues with penalties, but also lauded the Commodores for not going down without a fight.

“I think the penalties have been the one thing that’s slowed us down so far in the game,” Napier told SEC Network’s Tori Petry. “Just better execution. And again, credit Vanderbilt. They keep fighting back. We’ve got to match the pattern a little bit better there early. But this group’s playing hard. We’ve got one quarter left here. We need to go finish today.”

What’s at stake for Billy Napier, Florida against Vanderbilt

Florida entered Saturday’s game shorthanded. Running back Trevor Etienne and left tackle Austin Barber are both out after entering the game as doubtful, as On3’s Matt Zenitz reported Friday night. In addition, center Kingsley Eguakun is not expected to play as he deals with an ankle injury.

Etienne is dealing with an upper-body injury, according to Gators Online’s Nick de la Torre, and his absence would be huge for the Florida offense. He leads the Gators with 358 rushing yards this year and has found the end zone twice. That could open the door for Montrell Johnson — who has a team-high three rushing touchdowns — to take over as the lead running back.

Johnson said he’s ready for that scenario.

“If that happens I’m preparing for it. It doesn’t matter who gets the ball. I’m preparing for it,” Johnson said, via Gators Online. “If Trevor can’t go I trust the coaches to put me in the right plays. If that means more carries, I’m ready for it.”

Florida is looking to get things back on track after a 33-14 loss to Kentucky last week. The Gators totaled 313 yards on offense, but only found the end zone twice as they enter Week 6 with the SEC’s worst scoring offense. Johnson and Etienne had a fairly even split in the backfield in that game. Johnson led Florida with 11 carries for 42 yards while Etienne had 10 carries for 29 yards.