Know your foe (Florida)

Published 12:17 pm Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Billy Napier took Louisiana-Lafayette to historic highs while he was the head coach of the Cajuns.

It earned him great acclaim and an even bigger payday, as he moved into the spotlight of the SEC when he took over Florida’s struggling football program last season.

But the Gator turnaround has not been great. When Florida lost at Utah last week it left the program with its first four-game losing streak since 2017.

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Napier is just 6-8 at Florida and 3-5 in the SEC. Those are numbers that can make a coach’s seat if not hot, warming.

“There’s no one single individual to blame here other than me,” Napier said. “Ultimately the buck stops here. We’re going to go fix it. That’s what I would tell you.”

So it will be an angry group of Gators that will host McNeese State Saturday night inside “The Swamp” in Gainsville.

That’s not Gary Goff’s concern. The second-year Cowboy head coach has his own team to worry about after falling in their opener to Tarleton State.

“We have to worry about McNeese,” Goff said. “We have a tall mountain to climb for sure.”

Florida may be down, but it is still loaded with talent. It should also be noted that the Gators, despite their mistakes, still outgained No. 14 Utah on the road by almost 80 yards.

“They are still a very good football program, elite,” said Goff.

It is also a program with a lot of pride and a 22-1 record all-time against FCS opponents. With No. 9 Tennessee up next for the Gators, this is an important week for Florida to get better and fast.

“This week for us is important,” said Napier. “We look to get this taste out of our mouths.

“Adversity uncovers who you are.”

Napier sounded a lot like Goff after their games, as both head coaches were left disappointed in their team’s opening performances. Like the Cowboys, the Gators seemed to miss on some big plays.

“The lesson is execution matters,” said Napier. “We can’t waste a minute blaming or complaining or sulking. We have to be able to adapt to change and grow.

“We can play better. There is still work to be done for sure.”

That sounds exactly like the Cowboys.

“The Gators beat the Gators in a lot of ways,” Napier added.

Florida did throw for 333 yards against Utah as quarterback Graham Mertz finished 31-of-44 with a touchdown and an interception. But after falling behind early didn’t have much of a running game.

A local product, Trevor Etienne from Jennings High School, led the Gator rushing attack. Etienne, a sophomore, ran for 25 yards on seven carries while coming off the Florida bench.

Also like the Cowboys, Napier said he wants to get the running game going to have a more balanced attack.

While Florida and McNeese may be on two completely different levels in college football, when they meet on the same field Saturday night they will have a lot in common as they try to get their seasons back on track.