Coach Speak: Florida's Billy Napier on Georgia
DawgsHQ has had you covered with everything Kirby Smart has said this week, being present both on Monday and Tuesday while also tuning in to the Wednesday SEC teleconference. Just a day away from kickoff to the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party between Georgia and Florida, we take a look at everything Gators’ head coach Billy Napier had to say about matching up with the Bulldogs.
Billy Napier Opening Statement
“This is one of those games that you as a competitor look forward to being a part of. Obviously ton of history and tradition here. I think we’ve worked hard to educate our players about the importance of the game, the history behind the game.
Certainly, we have a ton of respect for Georgia relative to the caliber of football they’ve been playing, the personnel that they have, the coaching staff, and the brand of football in general. Obviously been ranked No. 1 for a number of weeks in a row here, won several in a row. Ton of respect for Georgia.
It’s going to require our best. I know our players are excited about getting to work today.”
Napier on what Georgia does well…
“Yeah, no, I think they do a fantastic job. I think the personnel is really good. Height, length, really good players at every level of the defense. Going to have to earn everything. I think is year eight for Kirby, if I’m not mistaken. There’s good continuity in terms of the veteran players have a good comprehension of the system. Overall it’s about the fundamentals, it’s the execution and the personnel.”
Napier on Georgia’s win streak…
“I think ultimately, much like I mentioned before, it’s a new set of problems, right? It’s a new set of issues that you’re managing relative to keeping your team motivated.
They haven’t had one of those experiences that kind of recenters you at times, right? I think oftentimes we used to say sometimes maybe getting beat early in the year is good for you. Most of those championship teams did get beat early on.
Ultimately I think it speaks to the level of consistency that they’ve been able to achieve from a continuity standpoint. The systems on offense, defense and in the kicking game have remained the same, therefore the players continue to develop. They’re working on the same concepts, the same set of fundamentals. I think they benefited from that.
Obviously they’ve got a talented team. This is a result of a lot of hard work. I can remember, I think I told you guys this, when I got the job, I saw Kirby for the first time since he won it, I congratulated him because I think we all know, having been a part of that, the amount of work that goes into it.
It’s evaluation, it’s recruitment, it’s teaching and development. I think there’s an intangible side of that as well that’s important. I think to sustain that is impressive.”
Billy Napier on what stands out about Georgia’s defense…
“Yeah, no, I think ultimately it’s the category of third down that you’re playing in. I think you want to be good on third down defense, make ’em play third and long. I think they’ve done a good job on the early downs creating those passing downs. Obviously those are much more difficult to convert.
That’s the key to the drill. I think it’s trying to keep third down manageable in the game will be part of the game, both sides of the ball, for us and them.”
Napier on no Brock Bowers for the Bulldogs…
“Obviously this is not only one of the best players in America this year, last year, I mean, this is one of the best players of all time, if that makes sense. I mean, this guy is a really, really unique matchup relative to his ability to run routes and get open, his ability to run after the catch. They’re handing the guy sweeps. They were handing the guy the ball. He’s a terrific blocker. He’s tough. He’s got a really good set of fundamentals. Made him really hard to defend.
I think ultimately the matchups just change. I think these are probably questions more for them than they are for me. But we’ll prepare for the personnel that we’ve been watching.
What direction they go I think will be part of the next couple weeks for them. But probably having an open date helps. They’re not lacking for skill players. They got ’em, all positions. Obviously up front, it’s a big, tall, long group that’s very effective.
I think the quarterback gets a little bit better each week obviously as he gains experience.”
Napier on Oscar Delp, Georgia’s step up at tight end without Brock Bowers…
“Obviously talented at every position. It’s a deep team. They’re able to survive some of those injuries. And look, the freshman’s (Lawson Luckie) really good, too. They’ve got a very capable group. That guy has made plays this year, too. It’s plug and play. I do have a ton of respect for the caliber of player Brock Bowers is. He’s certainly a generational talent. I’d rather play them without him than with him. It is what it is.”
Billy Napier on the intimidation factor of playing top-ranked team…
“They get to put 11 out there at a time. We get to put 11 out there at a time. And ultimately the team that plays the best most Saturdays wins the game. These guys have done it a lot. I think the key here is we focus on the things we can control. Oftentimes, this game is about not screwing it up as it is making a play. We want to go over there with the intention of making things happen. But I do have a ton of respect for them, for Georgia, no question about it — and the players do as well.”
Napier on Georgia’s offensive line and how Florida can get pressure on Carson Beck…
“I don’t know that we want to get that specific in terms of that. But that’s a good question. Every week I think protect and affect. I think, ultimately, it’s about protecting your quarterback and affecting their quarterback. It’s an element to the game. You want to try and disrupt (their quarterback). I think takeaways start with the quarterback, to some degree. So, yeah, it’s part of each game and certainly it’s part of this game. We’ll be trying to do both of those — protect our quarterback and affect theirs.”
Napier on the importance of line of scrimmage against Georgia…
“I think every week in this league is a line of scrimmage emphasis week. There’s not a week off. I think, ultimately, if you want to have a program that is a consistent contender, that can win a championship, that can be sustainable and can win a championship, that can be sustainable, and repeatable you have to have really good play in the trenches. You’ve got to have the height, the length, the power, the twitch on the edges. That’s a really important piece of the puzzle. I think, ultimately, a huge part of their success is they have had that in the past. I think a lot of the teams that I have been a part of that were able to win championships had really good line of scrimmage play. They had significant players on both fronts. It’s definitely part of how we’re trying top put our football team together and part of their formula for success has been being good up front on both sides.”
