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‘No shortcuts’ for Billy Napier, Gators as adversity hits in Year 1

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi•10/23/22•

ZachAbolverdi

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(David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In his first year at the helm, Billy Napier has experienced both highs and lows during the 2022 season. He became the first Florida coach to defeat a ranked team in his opener with a 29-26 upset over then-No. 7 Utah.

SEC play, however, has not gone well for the Gators. They started out 0-2 as Napier became the first UF lose to Kentucky and Tennessee in the same year since 1955.

And with last week’s loss to LSU, Florida is now 1-3 in the SEC (4-3 overall) and has dropped four straight games to the Tigers for the first time since 1977-80.

Billy Napier inherited a 6-7 team and knew he was in for a rebuild, but still expects to win. Following the LSU loss, he was asked to evaluate the state of his football program relative to where he wanted it to be heading into the open date.

“I want to win every single game that we play. We’ve lost a handful of games. I think that we’re in Year 1,” Napier said. “The big thing that I would say is that we’re working hard on the people. I think we’re making progress there. Working hard on expectations, culture, habit-building. I think that the football execution part is where we need to improve. But in terms of competitive spirit, togetherness, discipline, I think that we’re making progress in that part.”

Napier has worked wonders with discipline. Florida is currently No. 9 nationally for fewest penalty yardage per game (38.7) after ranking 119th last year in that category.

There’s also no quit from this team. The Gators had late rallies in their losses to Tennessee and LSU, cutting double-digit deficits to one-score games in the fourth quarter instead of folding.

“That’s a group that’s very much a team. I think they’ve shown that. The intangible, when you’re building a foundation, I think that’s where you start. We’ve done a lot of good in that area,” Napier said. “Our football needs to get better. I would say that. Lots of things contribute to that, if that makes sense. There’s no shortcuts here. There’s no shortcuts. You gotta go right through every single bit of adversity. It ain’t easy. It’s not easy for the staff. It’s not easy for the players.”

Bye week beneficial for Billy Napier

According to Napier, his coaches and players are tackling their issues head on. They spent the bye week doing self-scouting and quality control in-house, assessing the root of their inefficiencies and developing plans for improvement.

“It’s been beneficial,” Napier said. “The key is that we take these experiences and we use them for the better. We create positive change. We adjust our approach. We have integrity and we say, ‘You know what, I can do better for the team. I can coach better. I can play better.’ Every person’s got a job to do, everybody’s got a role. These things are not easy. I don’t like to lose. But if we waste it, if we waste it, then we’re failing them as leaders. And that’s the key to the drill.

“We’ve gotta use this experience. We’ve got to learn from it, we’ve gotta improve, we’ve gotta grow. There’s a lot of young players in that locker room. More importantly, there’s veteran players in that locker room that deserve our absolute best. Guys that are playing for their last time. So, that’s what I think about. Doing my best for those guys.”

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