Florida coach Billy Napier expects criticism after latest and arguably most galling performance

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — It sure feels like it’s over for Florida coach Billy Napier.

It might not even be close, but the lack of tangible progress in Napier’s third season seems to be more of a head-scratcher than the Gator's six-game losing streak and a 41-17 shellacking at the hands of Cam Ward and No. 19 Miami in the Swamp.

And the outside noise is deafening.

“You’re going to get criticism when you perform the way we did Saturday in certain parts of our team,” Napier said Monday.

It was merely one, ugly home game. And the Gators insist they have the talent, the time and the conviction to bounce back and turn the season around. They should get a reprieve against lower-division Samford (0-1) on Saturday night.

Then again, that game could be a sign of how far the Florida fan base has swung from enthusiastic to apathetic during Napier's tenure.

“I think ultimately a loss early can be a blessing if you don’t waste it,” Napier said. “We got to go to work on the football part. I think we got to become a more consistent team, and we have to execute better.

“If we can focus on those things and not necessarily what some guy in his basement is saying in rural central Florida on social media, then we got a chance to get better. I think that’s the key. Sometimes you deserve criticism. I have no excuses. We got to go get it fixed.”

Florida had significant issues on both sides of the ball against Miami — which entered the season with a strikingly similar resume under a third-year head coach — and closely resembled Napier’s previous two versions. And that's the problem.

Undisciplined penalties? Check. Pushed around on the lines of scrimmage? Check. Inconsistent quarterback play? Check. Throw in Napier’s continued conservativeness — he twice dialed up runs on third-and-5 — and there’s an argument to be made that the Gators have actually regressed from Game 1 (a last-second victory against then-No. 7 Utah) to Game 26 (a lopsided loss to an in-state rival).

Napier is now 11-15 at Florida, including 2-10 against ranked opponents and 1-8 against rivals Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Tennessee. There also are those back-to-back, double-digit losses to Kentucky and a 3-11 record in his last 14 games against Power Four teams.

And with seven ranked teams remaining on the schedule, it could get worse.

The Gators are unlikely to fire Napier anytime soon; the last four Florida coaches sent packing lasted until at least late October. Moving on from Napier could be complicated, too.

Florida would be on the hook for more than $25 million to fire him during or after this season, with half of that due almost immediately. However, the school could try to use Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada’s lawsuit against Napier — the one regarding a failed, $14 million name, image and likeness deal — or the related NCAA investigation to mitigate Napier’s buyout.

And is anyone at Florida really ready to fire Napier? Current Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin hired Napier and has preached patience through the rebuild. Plus, Florida is searching for a new school president after Ben Sasse recently resigned to be closer to his wife, who was diagnosed with epilepsy.

Former school president Kent Fuchs agreed to serve as Florida’s interim. Fuchs hired Stricklin and approved the hiring of Napier.

Napier will get chances to silence some of his critics in the coming weeks. The Gators would need to beat No. 20 Texas A&M next week and then Mississippi State and UCF to create some breathing room.

“It’s only Week 1,” running back Montrell Johnson said. “I’d say we still have time. The message to the team has been just to respond. … It’s not the end of the world. Go out there and fix our mistakes. Look back on this as motivation and use it throughout the whole entire season.”

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Mark Long, The Associated Press