Just when you thought Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier had gotten himself off the hot seat, he is firmly back on it after his team’s 18-16 loss to the South Florida Bulls.
It wasn’t the fact that the Gators lost; it was how they lost. Several penalties, including a personal foul when defensive lineman Brenden Brett spat on Bull’s offensive lineman Cole Skinner, prompted the officials to kick him out of the game.
Now, Napier’s future is in question again, and some think this could be the beginning of the end for Napier.
The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel ripped into the Gators, saying that the school is becoming known more for their “bonehead” moments than football.
“The University of Florida is a fine academic institution, but for some reason, its football field is becoming synonymous with boneheaded moments.
You may recall how Dan Mullen’s 2020 Florida team was rolling at 8-1 until Gators cornerback Marco Wilson ripped off an LSU player’s shoe and hurled it downfield, resulting in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that set up a game-winning Tigers field goal. That infamous moment at the Swamp was the beginning of the end for Mullen, who was fired a year later.
If the same fate befalls current Florida coach Billy Napier, we may look back at “Bull spit” the same way.”
The Gators were already in a tough spot because of their schedule and because of the health of their starting QB, DJ Lagway.
Lagway has been struggling with injuries of late, but even with him starting this past Saturday, he couldn’t save his team from defeat.
Napier’s team showed a lack of discipline, and his coaching was called into question as well when it came to the closing moments of the game.
If this year goes as badly as many think after this loss, this may be Billy Napier’s last year in Gainesville.