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Billy Napier addresses busted coverages in secondary, safety play

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi•09/26/22•

ZachAbolverdi

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators had a pair of glaring busted coverages in their 38-33 loss to Tennessee on Saturday.

On the Vols’ first touchdown drive of the game, wide receiver Bru McCoy was uncovered and reeled in a 70-yard reception. And after Florida’s red-zone fumble in the fourth quarter, UT tight end Jacob Warren was left wide open for a 45-yard catch-and-run.

Following the game, UF coach Billy Napier said he wanted to look at the film before commenting on the communication breakdowns in the secondary. Napier addressed those issues during his Monday press conference.

“When we watch the defensive tape, it’s simple. It’s one player not doing what he’s supposed to do quite often. It’s a guy busting the coverage,” Napier said. “We gave up explosive plays in the game as a result of mental errors.”

Florida starting safety Trey Dean III appeared to be the culprit on the busted assignments, letting McCoy and Warren run past him both times without covering them. Those two plays accounted for a third of Hendon Hooker’s total passing yards.

Dean did not take the field on the next series after Tennessee’s first touchdown drive, but still played the fourth-most snaps on defense. He earned the second-worst grade among Florida defenders, according to Pro Football Focus.

Although Dean’s miscues were costly and obvious, Napier mentioned Monday that other defensive breakdowns happened during the game, such as players in the wrong pass rush lane or misfitting a run.

Only two other safeties have seen action behind starters Dean and Rashad Torrence II. True freshman Kamari Wilson is at 47 snaps through four games, while Donovan McMillon has played just one defensive snap this season.

Gators Online asked Napier to evaluate the play of his safeties on Monday and how the position needs to improve moving forward.

“I think that secondary, in particular, is a position, much like our entire team, where we play well at times but we’re a little bit inconsistent at times,” Napier said. “Sometimes the magnifying lens gets put on certain plays or certain situations as they follow the ball, but I do think that they’re much like every position on our team. They do a lot of things well, but we’re looking for more consistency.

“We’ve got to do the simple things well. There’s a dozen plays in that game where Florida beats Florida, if that makes sense. We’ve always taken great pride in being a team that doesn’t give the opponent anything. You’re going to have to earn every inch that you get when you play our team, right?

“We’re still not there. We’re still learning our systems. We’re still learning how to adjust to playing different systems. I think there’s a lot of repetition and growth that needs to take place to be the type of football team we want to be.”

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