Rapid Reaction to Florida's 41-17 loss to Miami
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators faceplanted in their 2024 opener on Saturday with a 41-17 loss to the Miami Hurricanes. UF has now lost six games in a row and dropped its home opener for the first since 1989, snapping a nation-leading 33-game winning streak.
Miami QB Cam Ward threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns, including one to Xavier Restrepo who made seven receptions for 112 yards. UF quarterback Graham Mertz finished with just 91 yards and was knocked out of the game with a concussion late in the third quarter.
RELATED: Graham Mertz diagnosed with a concussion in loss to Miami
In the video above, Gators Online shares our rapid reaction to Florida’s loss against the Hurricanes.
Billy Napier on the Miami loss
“They beat us today, and I don’t have a ton of excuses. I think we struggled to produce any running game outside of one explosive. Obviously didn’t create a ton of explosives, and then obviously we had a couple key penalties, and then defensively, outside of 3rd down, didn’t do much. I do think there were a few bright spots in the kicking game, Miami outplayed us, they outcoached us and give them credit. I do think there are things we can do better. There’s no question there were mistakes made.
“I mean, it’s embarrassing, to be quite honest with you. That’s how I feel. That’s how our kids feel. We’ve got a decision to make. I think we have — that’s what I just told them. There’s no excuses. Keep our mouths shut, show up and work. We have to do better. Keep it simple. That’s how I feel. I do think that our players will show up and they will respond.
“Again, you’ve got to give Miami some credit. They’ve got a good football team. I think they had a handful of wrinkles that were new. There’s no question about that. But overall, I think the game comes down to fundamentals. It comes down to good communication, good execution. At times out there we did not do that. I was surprised, and I do think that we have better football in us. I think that’s the message. I think our players feel that way. I think we’ve got a lot of football ahead of us, and I think ultimately, we’ll prove over time that we can play better than that. I really believe that. We’ll have our opportunity to do that next week.”
![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)
