Billy Napier thanks Florida fans for the role they played in Gator's win over Utah

Billy Napier kicked off his tenure at Florida with a bang with a 29-26 upset over No. 7 Utah. After an offseason’s worth of waiting to start the Napier era, it paid off immediately for Gator fans. While the team got the job done, Napier says he would be remiss to discredit the role the crowd played in helping them win this weekend.

Napier explicitly credited the fans in his press conference’s opening remarks after the win over the Utes. He thanked them for their energy and for being the difference for Florida from the moment they kicked off.

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“I just want to thank our fans for coming out. I think that was the 10th largest crowd in the history of the school,” said Napier. “We said in the very beginning it was going to take a team effort to get this done, to build and create momentum and energy on the outside. They made a difference tonight. There’s no question that they impacted the game.”

The university eventually announced that the attendance for the Gator’s opener was 90,799. That made it the largest opening day crowd in the history of the program. Fans were obviously excited to see Napier’s debut and they got their money’s worth in Gainesville.

For Napier, he thinks the school and the field naturally bring people back. He says the fans want to be in The Swamp because of past memories and the potential new ones they can make by being present each weekend.

“The University of Florida is a special place. These people come back because of the way it impacted them, the memories they had here, and how it’s influenced their lives. Some of those memories are football games in The Swamp,” said Napier. “We’re very thankful for our fans for showing up. They contributed to our team.”

Billy Napier’s opener in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was a success. However, the Gators will face a very quick turnaround. After hosting a Top-10 team in the nation, they will now host a Top-20 team and conference foe in No. 20 Kentucky this upcoming weekend. With the energy they showed last weekend, though, Florida’s home-field advantage should be more than ready to go for its SEC opener on Saturday.