AUSTIN, Texas — On Thursday, embattled Florida coach Billy Napier received a vote of confidence from athletic director Scott Stricklin, who introduced that Napier “will proceed as head soccer coach of the Florida Gators,” citing the progress the crew has made this season.
On Saturday, a banged-up Florida crew received a reminder of simply how far it must go, shedding to No. 5 Texas 49-17 in a sport the Gators trailed 42-0. Florida fell to 4-5 and 2-4 within the SEC.
“General, [it] received out of hand within the first half,” Napier stated. “You search for and the sport is over. We’ve to guage the hassle. We’ve to guage point-of-attack points we had, and simply flat-out need to play higher.”
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He spoke for the primary time since Stricklin’s letter to followers, the place he stated he needed to take a “disciplined, secure strategy,” asking followers to “proceed standing behind Billy and his devoted crew whereas we work collectively to construct a championship program.”
Napier stated after Saturday’s loss he was appreciative of the possibility to proceed attempting to straighten out this system’s woes.
“Properly to begin with, I am grateful for our gamers. … We’d not have made a few of the progress that we have made during the last 4, 5, six weeks with out a nice group of gamers, the character there on the core of that group, their management. I do assume that while you have a look at the roster as an entire, we’ve got a ton of younger expertise, and I believe they’re going to proceed to develop and so they’re studying. They are going by way of this expertise, and I believe that’ll show helpful sooner or later.”
Stricklin’s assertion cited shut losses to No. 7 Tennessee and No. 3 Georgia as causes for optimism for the way forward for Napier’s younger crew. However this was not a detailed loss. The Gators’ halftime deficit was the most important in a Florida convention sport over the previous 20 years.
Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, who was carted off the sphere after a hamstring damage in opposition to Georgia final week, warmed up however was unable to play, after the Gators already misplaced starter Graham Mertz for the season with a knee damage. The Gators’ starter, Aidan Warner, is a former walk-on, who transferred from Yale. He went 12 of 25 for 132 yards and two interceptions.
“Aidan fought his tail off on the market at this time, did some good issues for a man who’s making his first begin in opposition to a extremely good protection, one of many higher defenses within the nation,” Napier stated. “It was good to see him transfer the crew a bit of bit within the second half.”
Napier stated Lagway stated he felt nearly as good as he has all week throughout pregame, however the coach determined he wasn’t fairly able to go.
“I believe you threat placing him on the market with the smooth tissue damage. He is not fairly able to do it, however we’re hopeful he is made some progress.”
In the meantime, the Texas offense scorched the Gators’ protection for 562 yards, as Quinn Ewers accomplished 19 of 27 makes an attempt for 333 yards and a career-high 5 touchdowns, with two different seemingly landing passes bouncing off the arms of receiver DeAndre Moore.
At halftime, the Longhorns had 353 yards on 35 performs, averaged 5.6 yards per carry and a Texas offense that had struggled to interrupt off large performs of late had 297 yards passing as Ewers had one in all his greatest video games of the season.
“We did not have an effect on the quarterback,” Napier stated. “You search for and it is 10 yards a play within the first half.”
Napier, in his third season at Florida, fell to 15-19 with the Gators, with house video games remaining in opposition to LSU and Ole Miss and a highway journey to Florida State.
“You go into the sport, perceive you are taking part in together with your third quarterback and need to defend them, and we didn’t do this,” Napier stated. “So we misplaced a bit of little bit of our stinger due to that.”
Regardless of the consequence, within the postgame information convention, huge receiver Chimere Dike and linebacker Shemar James expressed what James known as the “aid” of Stricklin’s letter in assist of Napier.
“I’ve full perception in him,” Dike stated. “I believe that at this time was clearly robust for our crew, however we’re getting into the appropriate path. We have numerous younger guys who proceed to enhance and I am excited to see him in the way forward for this program.”
