Coach Billy Napier is getting a lot of criticism after Florida's Week 1 loss to Utah. Photo Credit: Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier gestures towards the sidelines during fall football practice at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, August 5, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]
By Michael Dixon on

Year 2 of the Billy Napier era got underway on Thursday, as Napier and the Florida Gators opened the season against Utah. It did not go well for Napier or the Gators.

In some respects, it was the kind of game a team would want to have going on the road against a ranked opponent. Florida won the first down battle 17-13 and outgained Utah 346-270. Despite that, the Gators trailed throughout the game and ended up on the wrong side of a 24-11 final score.

So, what went wrong? A lot.

The Gators went three-and-out on the game’s opening possession. Utah then took the lead on its first offensive play of the season with a 70-yard touchdown pass.

Three significant blunders from the special teams followed.

The first came when Adam Mihalek missed a 31-yard field goal that would have cut the deficit to 7-6. Florida then forced a punt on the ensuing Utah possession, but committed an equipment violation penalty on the punt, with two No. 3s on the field. That gave the Utes a first down and they took full advantage, scoring a touchdown to go up 14-3.

After forcing a punt on Utah’s first possession of the second half, the Gators made another mistake on a punt return when Eugene Wilson fielded the punt close to his own five-yard line while running backward. He was eventually tackled inside of his own 10.

That mistake was compounded when Florida’s Graham Mertz threw a pass on third down that was deflected and eventually intercepted by Utah’s Sione Vaki. The Utes took advantage of the short field with a five-yard touchdown run from quarterback Bryson Barnes, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Significant mistakes in all three phases of the game were too much to overcome. Ultimately, it’s the players who win and lose the games. That said, bad penalties, untimely turnovers and poor decisions generally point to an unprepared team. That falls on the coach.

And with that in mind, Napier came under a lot of criticism for his team’s showing on Thursday night.

Utah was favored by 5.5 points coming into the game. But while Florida losing wasn’t at all unexpected, the Gators having so little to hang their hats in is certainly alarming. Florida has a lot of work to do. And with the SEC opener against No. 12 Tennessee looming in Week 3, there’s a strong sense of urgency in Gainesville.

About Michael Dixon

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