The Texas Longhorns successfully defended their home field on Saturday from the Florida Gators, 49-17, as the two schools faced each other for the first time in 84 years. The loss kept the Orange and Blue winless in all four meetings on the college football gridiron against the Burnt Orange.
There was little doubt which team was the better one, but despite a roster decimated by injuries, [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s boys still left everything on the field. Nonetheless, it was not nearly enough to upset one of the top programs in the nation and left Florida 4-5 overall with just a 2-4 mark in SEC play.
Following the Week 11 affair, wide receiver [autotag]Chimere Dike[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] spoke with the media, offering their takes on what transpired that afternoon.
Failing to capitalize on takeaways chances early
Shemar James: “We definitely took a blow on the defensive side of the ball, things weren’t going our way. Kind of like self-inflicted wounds. We preached on that saying, ‘If you give a good team an inch they’ll take a mile.’ We gotta clean that up on our side of the ball and we probably could have came out with a win.”
Defensive frustrations after weeks of improvement
James: “It’s the game of football. You can be on high and before you know it, it’s a roller coaster game, so, we just got to get back in the film room and get better.”
What 2nd-half effort says about Florida
Chimere Dike: “Yeah, this team has obviously been through loads of adversity, I’m proud of the guys for going out there and battling in the second half, a lot of teams would have gave up, but at the same time we gotta execute better, we gotta improve.
“At the end of the day, we didn’t take care of what we needed to, like you said we had self-inflicted wounds, and when you play a team like Texas you can’t do that.”
Did week of prep help Aidan Warner?
Dike: “I think anytime you’re a young player, when you’re able to have game reps against a really good football team, it’s one of those things you can learn from. He came out there and competed for four quarters, and I know he’s going to continue to get better and take steps forward.”
Florida’s failures in red zone
Dike: “Yeah, I mean, I think when you have red zone trips — especially on the road against a good team, you know, down some bodies — I think it’s important to capitalize and we didn’t. I think that was the story of the first half. Those are things you need to cash in on.”
Opinions on Aidan Warner’s performance
Dike: “I think Aidan did a really good job. I think there was a lot of guys who could have done things better around him, myself included. When you have a young quarterback like that you have to help him as much as you can. I think he competed for four quarters, I think he threw some really good balls.
“When you looked at him he never looked like he was gonna give up or was out of it, so I’m proud of him, proud of the way he competed.”
Did he think DJ Lagway would play?
Dike: “I knew DJ was going to do everything he could to get on the field, he was progressing throughout the week. That kid loves competing, he loves the University of Florida.
“He wanted to be out there, but it just was the best thing for us that he wasn’t. I’m looking forward to him continuing to take strides and get healthy.”
Frustration with injuries, rotation, depth
James: “It’s frustrating a little bit, but that’s the game of football. It’s a tough game. Guys will get banged up. But it really just comes down to capitalizing.
“We got to come up with the right mentality. We got some really good two’s and three’s that came in the game and played pretty well. It just came down to being ready for the moment and executing.”
On Myles Graham’s development
James: “He’s getting better each and every week from the first week to this week. He’s been improving, taking good strides. Getting things right and communicating. I expect that from Myles.”
On staying together to finish the season strong
James: “Like you said, stay together. Staying together, that’s what will get us over this hump and get some wins at the end of the year.”
On how much the injuries contributed
Dike: “Yeah, we were down, but like he said, it’s a next-man-up mentality. Regardless of how many people were out, we didn’t execute to our ability. We didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we had.
“Obviously, it’s tough kind of being down, but hopefully we can get guys back healthy and guys continue to come back, but at the end of the day, we didn’t take care of what we needed to. We can’t really make any excuses.”
On Chimere Dike being underrated
Dike: “I’ve played a lot of college football. I was confident coming to the SEC. I have great coaches around me, teammates that believe in me, and I just try to go out there and play as hard as I can.
“It’s an honor to play for the University of Florida. It’s a dream come true for me. So, just every day I try go out there and work as hard as I can.”
Reacting to announcement keeping Napier
Dike: “Yeah, I love Coach Napier. He’s the reason why I came here. Obviously my relationship with Graham, just getting to sit down and talk to him.
“He’s wanting to build a program. I have full belief in him, and it’s unwavering. Today was obviously tough, but our team’s going in the right direction. With all the young guys with an opportunity to improve, and excited to see him in the future.”
James: “I’ve been here since the beginning with Coach Napier. He actually recruited me, so I was excited to see that letter. It was kind of a relief to know that he’ll have another year, you know, so we can develop under him as well.
“I’m just excited for Coach Napier.”
Next up for Florida
The Gators return to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to host the LSU Tigers in college football’s Week 12. The Southeastern Conference matchup will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ABC.
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