Billy Napier calls out defense at halftime of Texas A&M game
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — All week there was talk about which quarterback Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier would start this week against the Texas A&M Aggies. It wouldn’t matter who started at quarterback the way the Gator defense played.
Texas A&M scored on all four of its first-half drives, amassing 302 total yards, including 197 on the ground. The Aggies had 18 first downs, and touchdown drives of 92 and 99 yards while taking a 20-0 lead at halftime. Florida’s offense managed just 73 yards on 19 plays in the opening 30 minutes.
Before heading to the locker room, Napier was stopped for an interview with ABC sideline reporter, Katie George, who asked him what he needed to see from his offense to get them in a rhythm.
“Well we’ve only had the ball I think maybe 15 plays in the first half. They’ve had it 50. We need to get some stops on defense,” Napier said. “We had multiple opportunities to get off the field. I think we need a little rhythm. I think we’ve been shooting ourselves in the foot. There’s no question, upfront, we’ve got to play a little bit better so we can get some runs.”
The Gators did have some defensive miscues in the first half. The Aggies started backup quarterback Marcel Reed in place of the injured starter, Conner Weigman. The redshirt freshman didn’t look like a backup, leading the Aggies to a scoring drive on the first possession of the game. The drive included a 31-yard run on 2nd and 21, as well as four third-down conversions. Reed was 4/4 for 54 yards on third down as Texas A&M drove to kick a field goal to open the game. Reed finished the first half 10-15 for 105 yards and a touchdown while adding 49 rushing yards and another score on the ground.
During Florida’s last offensive drive, which resulted in an interception as Lagway tried to chuck a ball into the endzone as time expired, fans started chanting “Fire Billy”.
Billy Napier was treated to even more booing as he left his interview with George to head into the locker room, his team trailing 20-0.
![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier walks during the first half at the Orange and Blue spring football game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, April 13, 2024. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://on3static.com/cdn-cgi/image/height=215,width=393,quality=90,fit=cover,gravity=0.5x0.5/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/04/18141240/Untitled-design-72-2.png)
