Steve Spurrier on Florida two-point conversion decision: 'In hindsight, we should have gone for it'

On Saturday, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Chimere Dike to cut Tennessee‘s lead to 17-16 with less than 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Florida could’ve attempted a 2-point conversion and taken the lead, if successful.

Initially, it looked like Florida would do just that. However, after both teams called timeouts, Gators head coach Billy Napier ultimately decided to take the extra point and hope to escape with a win in overtime. Unfortunately for the Gators, Napier’s plan failed.

Florida missed a field goal in overtime and Tennessee scored a game-winning touchdown only five plays later. On Monday, former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier weighed in on Napier’s controversial decision not to go for two in the final minute of regulation.

“I started thinking back and in 2013, we’re at Missouri,” Spurrier recalled. “They were ahead 17 to nothing in the fourth quarter. And all of a sudden — Connor Shaw was sort of sick that day — and we weren’t doing worth flint. And I said, ‘Can you play a lick?’ And he said, ‘I can play coach.’

“We scored 17 in the fourth quarter, so I’m thinking, ‘We got our momentum. Let’s not go for two.’ So we got it into overtime, and we made our field goal, and theirs hit the upright and it bounced backward, which was a big win for us at that time. But anyway, I don’t know the percentages. Most teams don’t make the two. They don’t. That’s true. But obviously, in hindsight, we should have gone for it.”

The analytics on 2-point conversions are mixed but most experts tend to believe the longer a game lasts, the worse the odds are for the underdog to win. The Gators were undoubtedly the underdogs against Tennessee on Saturday evening.

Nonetheless, Napier believed Florida’s momentum would carry into overtime. Specifically, Napier was confident in his defense’s ability to find stops.

“If it was 47-47, maybe it’s a different approach,” Napier said on Monday, regarding his decision to take the extra point. “But just think defensively our kids battled their tail off and played a heck of a game. You felt like you were in pretty good shape there.”

With teams such as Georgia, Texas and LSU still ahead on its schedule, Florida’s season isn’t about to get any easier. On Saturday, the Gators will look to bounce back as they square off against Kentucky at 7:45 p.m. ET. The game will air live on the SEC Network.