Billy Napier didn’t attempt to mask his disappointment following Florida’s 22-7 win over Charlotte on Saturday when addressing the media in his post-game press conference.
The Gators scored on their first drive of the night but were forced to kick five field goals as the rest of the game played out. Napier praised sophomore kicker Trey Smack for stepping into the starting placekicker role and locking it down, but a 1-for-9 night on third down had the offense under a microscope immediately after.
Fortunately, Napier believes there’s little to worry about.
“I think when we look back at that, it’s going to be very technical, the game in general,” Napier said. “I think there will be things that are very correctable just based on what I observed out there, whether it’s a missed block or getting beat in pass protection. I think it was all very correctable.”
How much of Napier’s opener is coach speak and how much of it is genuine is up for debate, but there was a feeling coming into this game that the Gators would take a step back.
First off, the offensive line was down two starters for the first half and never got Micah Mazzccua back. Knijeah Harris got to play the entire night at guard, but Florida’s offense suffered without the regulars.
Then there’s the complacency issue. The Tennessee game was built up a must-win situation for Florida, and they got the job done, but no one expected UF to struggle against Charlotte. Forcing the starters to play all night probably wasn’t the plan, but Napier doesn’t think his players are getting lazy, per se.
“The disappointing thing about games like this,” said Napier, “these are the ones where maybe the average fan anticipates it getting out of control, and a lot of our young players didn’t have an opportunity to play because we didn’t get it under control. But I’m proud of our team, the character of our team.
“We stayed into it. We continued to fight. I didn’t see a lack of effort out there. I think it’s all going to be very technical and very correctable.”
Florida can make a statement with a dominant win over Kentucky, but a loss could lose the Gators whatever credibility they’ve established so far this season.
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