Florida fans chant 'Fire Billy' as Texas A&M takes 20-0 lead late in 1st half

As things continue to spiral downward for Billy Napier’s tenure at Florida, trailing 20-0 at the half against Texas A&M at home in Week 3 was not going to do the head coach any favors.

And the Florida fans let their feelings be known, filling The Swamp with a predictable chant. And it was loud enough to be picked up on the TV broadcast as the Aggies added to the lead late in the first half.

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“Fire Billy! Fire Billy!” the crowd chanted.

If you listen close enough, you can hear the crowd chanting "Fire Billy."

Yeah, it's bad in Gainesville pic.twitter.com/wvCd0p9UnO

— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) September 14, 2024

And the hits didn’t stop there, as fans apparently booed a PSA about drinking and driving read by Napier on the jumbotron, according to Gators Online’s Nick de la Torre.

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Florida has already taken an ugly home loss to rival Miami to open the season, and another lopsided defeat — this time to open SEC play — will only compound the troubles building in Gainesville.

After the game, Napier addressed the negativity, and saying he understands it, and that it’s just a price of admission for working the job he has.

“I have no negative comment about that,” he said. “Ultimately, when you play a certain way in this arena, you’re gonna be criticized. This is one of those places where there’s history and tradition and expectations and a lot of really good football teams have played in this stadium in the past. When you play ugly ball, and maybe it didn’t look like we all wanted it to, it comes with the territory. So I probably would’ve done the same thing.”

Saturday was also potentially a time for Florida to play with some desperation, to make a statement that there was life and a path forward for this plan. It’s something at least famed Gator alum spoke about wanting to see on “The Paul Finebaum Show” on Friday.

“It’s an interesting time but I think this game is critical,” Tim Tebow said. “Do I think Florida is a better football team than Texas A&M? I don’t know. Probably not when you watch the film. But, I don’t know that this game is just about who’s better. Obviously that matters but I think what also matters is the desperation that you play with. And I think Florida has to play with desperation. I think they have to coach with desperation. And I think both of these teams, it’s pivotal. It’s so important, both losing Week 1, having a chance to bounce back, in an SEC game — especially with A&M having a little bit of an easier schedule in front of them. This is pivotal for both teams, for both staffs, but I think there’s more pressure on Florida and I also think because of that, they’re going to play with more of a desperation and I’m excited to see what that looks like.”

Now, though, Tebow might be singing a different tune — and one much closer to what he fellow Gators voiced on Saturday.