Florida head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] didn’t mince words in his post-game press conference following the Gators’ 42-20 loss to Georgia on Saturday.
“Not good enough,” Napier said. “Got to coach better, got to lead better, players need to play better. Simple enough. I think execution can be better.”
But Napier didn’t take the podium with complete disgust for his team. After an admittedly ugly first half, Florida pulled things within eight points in the third quarter. Whatever was said during halftime helped spark a 17-point run for the Gators, and fans got a chance to see what a Billy Napier football team is really all about.
Sure, Georgia still went home with the win, but lighting up one of the top defenses in the country while forcing two-straight turnovers is a fine consolation prize given the circumstance. At the very least, the third quarter provided a glimmer of hope for the future of this program, and that wasn’t lost on Napier.
“What I respect about that group of men in the locker room is that they really care,” he said. “They worked hard on getting to know each other, working together, playing this game the way it’s intended to be played, and that’s for each other. I think we saw a little bit of that, challenged them at halftime and certainly, they responded the right way. We were able to get a score, create some takeaways, get it back to a game…
“… I gained a level of respect for that group in terms of how they responded at halftime. I’d say that’s what I respect the most: they care. They really do care,” he said with conviction. “I think today might have been a turning point to some degree relative to what is really in there, in your heart, in your soul, between your ears.”
It’ll take more than a year to establish the kind of culture Billy Napier had at the University of Louisiana, but he had to help raise that program from the ashes too. The process will take time, but the “turning point” language Napier used shouldn’t be taken lightly. He knows what it takes to be successful and isn’t exactly making excuses for the team.
Remember how the press conference started: “Not good enough.”
Florida’s resolve will be tested in just a week when it takes on Texas A&M in College Station. If the Gators come out playing as they did in the third quarter, Napier may be on to something.
[mm-video type=video id=01gdg3yhc6d6jb3c59xg playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gdg3yhc6d6jb3c59xg/01gdg3yhc6d6jb3c59xg-c640babe687004c896ec7a3af514c1b9.jpg]
[lawrence-related id=95043,95037,95045,95011,95009]
[listicle id=95036]
[listicle id=95021]
[listicle id=95016]
[listicle id=95014]
[listicle id=94845]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!