Billy Napier previews the Florida Gators game against South Carolina

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Each week the SEC holds a teleconference for all 14 head coaches in the league. Billy Napier took his turn Wednesday to preview Florida’s game this weekend at South Carolina.

Here’s everything Billy Napier said on the SEC Teleconference.

Opening statement:

Napier: “Yeah been a good week so far. I really like our team, this week I think we’ve got really good ownership at the player level. Thought we practiced with the right intent yesterday, and right in the middle of preparing for Wednesday’s practice, you know, South Carolina is obviously a very tough place to play. Williams-Brice is a great venue and certainly, Coach Beamer always has a highly motivated team, so gotta go on the road and certainly in this league that requires you to be at your absolute best and that’s what we’re focused on.”

On his Monday comment about improving the team’s sleep.

Napier: “Yeah I mean I think look, I think you guys try to make a story about us about anything, you know, we put a premium on sleep the entire year. There’s not many days that we don’t have an educational session through the sports science people about the benefit of having really good sleep. So we tweaked our schedule slightly, we’re making some points of emphasis. It is what it is. I don’t think there’s anything to be making a story out of.” 

On how you monitor the players’ sleep?

Napier: “Well, we oftentimes will have them report what time they went to bed and what time they woke up. Breakfast is mandatory for our players at our new Heavener Center, so that requires them to be up at some point to some degree. We think that consistency, kind of setting that rhythm, in terms of when you go to bed and when you wake up is important, not only during the season but throughout the entire year.

I do think that when you come off the field Wednesday, obviously it’s been two really challenging practices, that are physical, that are intense, it’s important that you get to bed on Wednesday night and maximize those opportunities, so there’s tons of research behind this relative to injury rate, your level of focus, your ability to retain information, I mean, we have really good people in that area with Tyler Miles, and Frank Hogas and Miguel Carodine, and they all do a good job of providing information for our players but also our staff in terms of things we can emphasize. This isn’t a culture deal, it’s a habit that we’re trying to instill in our players, and I think that we got a number of methods that we use throughout the year that we try to measure that and emphasize the importance throughout the year.” 

On how much of the theme of the week is just go play a game despite road issues? 

Napier: “Yeah no I mean, I think that ultimately the game comes down to execution. Just got to do it in a different environment, and our players are very aware of why we’ve struggled. Two opportunities that we’ve had to go play on the road, and ultimately I would say it’s about the football, OK, and less about where we’re playing and what time we’re playing.

“That’s just my opinion. I do think there’s a physical element, there’s a mental element and I do think there’s an emotional element, right, so got to prepare mentally to deal with momentum swings in the game. You’ve got to visualize what it’s going to be like, you got to have the resolve to battle through it, you got to be vocal, your leadership has got to do a good job, you’ve got to stick together, and certainly it’s going to be a 15-round fight, and you’re going to get hit, you’re going to get hit, you got to get up off the mat and keep swinging.”

On the Gators’ running game

Napier: “I think we’re improving. I think continuity up front has probably been the No. 1 issue. But I do think we’re getting better. We’ve put a big emphasis the last couple of weeks on fundamentals. I do think that we’ve got good backs; we need to be able to rush the ball effectively. And you’ve got to have a certain level of balance. You take the group of skill players you have and try to put your team in position to win. Sometimes that’s throw the ball a little bit more, sometimes that’s running a little bit more. I do think we’re taking steps in the right direction.

“I do think your comment about all the position groups contributing to the run game, even the quarterback to some degree, I do think if you run it effectively or struggle, we all want to talk about the O-line. But sometimes it’s other parts of your team. Offensive football is about all 11 players playing with detail, playing with speed, and violence and being precise. I think maybe when you have one player doing what they’re not supposed to do that can cause you problems. The opposite of that may be the case on defense. Sometimes on defense, you might have two guys bust and you sack the quarterback and everyone’s celebrating – we never talk about it. I think that we are improving that in that area and certainly, I’m hopeful we’ll get better.”

On Spencer Rattler’s growth

Napier: “I think Spencer’s improved just throughout his career. Obviously, I knew about him in high school and his history at Oklahoma. For him, I think he’s with his second coordinator here and I think he’s done a nice job. He played well as the season went last year. He’s one of the more talented quarterbacks in the country. They have a good mix of skills that allows him to distribute the ball and they can be very dangerous on offense. He’s a really good player, and that’s certainly one of the challenges when you play South Carolina.”