JACKSONVILLE — Florida’s 43-20 loss to Georgia was another stark reminder of how far coach Billy Napier’s rebuild has to go.
The top-ranked Bulldogs (8-0, 5-0 SEC) trailed 7-3, but unleashed a 33-0 blitzkrieg on all fronts against the overmatched Gators (5-3, 3-2).
Here are 3 things learned.
Billy Napier isn’t suited to call plays in the SEC as a head coach
Scheme aside, Napier too often lacks a sense of timing the best offensive minds possess. As it stands, he also has too much on his plate to handle double duties in the nation’s top football conference.
The Gators’ attack had momentum and a 7-3 lead following a when Napier seemed to go off script with an ill-fated double-reverse on first down from 50-yard-line ended in a 2-yard loss. A sack-fumble on third down then led to a punt.
The sequence began a five-possession retreat featuring just 1 yard on 18 plays, four sacks, three punts, including one blocked by the Bulldogs, and two turnovers — the second after the ultimate play-calling head-scratcher of 2023.
Napier’s high-risk decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 from UF’s 34 with the game in the balance at 10-7 may have been justified in a game where the Gators had to take chances. Ultimately, the play it will go down in the annals of ineptitude because of its execution.
Quarterback Graham Mertz stepped under center and center Kingsley Eguakun snapped the ball between his QB’s knees to tailback Trevor Etienne several yards deep in the backfield and Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon immediately corralled him for a 3-yard loss to set up a quick Bulldogs’ touchdown.
Despite the disastrous outcome, Napier justified move.
“We’re close there,” he said.
Mertz did not question his coach, but said the play undoubtedly “shifted the momentum.”
Mertz and the Gators seemed to find some mojo during a 41-point, 494-yard performance Oct. 14 at South Carolina, despite doing it against the nation’s worst pass defense.
The Georgia debacle instead became the latest example of Napier’s foolhardy oversight of the offense, especially given Georgia gashed his defense and capitalized on yet another special teams breakdown. The 44-year-old’s play calling role continues to show a level of stubbornness he’ll need to cast aside in order to hire an offensive coordinator and focus on the overall program.
If Napier ever needed to exhibit good timing, it will be this offseason.
Florida isn’t any closer to Georgia
The gap between the Gators and Bulldogs isn’t necessarily growing, but it sure isn’t shrinking.
UF’s optimism and Georgia’s concerns leading up to Saturday proved ill-founded. Even without All-America tight end Brock Bowers, their best player, the Bulldogs won by a point more than than last season’s 42-20 decision.
Georgia’s defense is not generational like 2021 or even as stout as 2022, but still has another gear. For the second straight season, the Bulldogs average more than 40 points and 500 yards.
Nowhere on the field did the Gators have an edge.
Georgia had a field day against Florida’s cornerbacks, an area the Gators expect to be elite. Veteran Jason Marshall Jr. and redshirt junior Jalen Kimber, a Georgia transfer, each gave up touchdowns for struggling pass defense.
Napier pushes to gain ground on the recruiting trail, the one area the Gators have improved the most since his arrival.
A class ranked No. 3 nationally by 247Sports features seven top-100 players, including two 5-star prospects. Problem is, Georgia has the No. 1 class featuring nine top-100 prospects, including four 5-stars.
It could be awhile before Florida, losers of six of seven, reasserts itself in the series.
UF confident it can rally
The Gators’ season could go south after the Georgia loss, but Mertz said he wouldn’t bet against it.
“I’ll tell you right now: It’s not going to snowball,” he said.
Yet, Saturday’s visit from struggling Arkansas — 2-6 after a 7-3 loss Oct. 21 at home to Mississippi State — is the only November game in which UF will be favored.
Road games at LSU’s raucous Tiger Stadium and Missouri’s frigid Faurot Field followed by a Nov. 25 visit from Florida State could put the Gators on another three-game slide to end the season.
No one left on the schedule might compare with Georgia.
The Gators jumped to a 7-0 lead and were positioned to compete until a couple of questionable play calls and turnovers quickly turned the tide.
“They’re a great team,” Mertz said. “They got after us today. We made a few mistakes.”
Napier said the key is to learn from them and not repeat them.
“How do you get smarter and get better at what you do, how do you continue to grow and develop?” Napier asked. “Ultimately you have to go through tough times, you have to make mistakes along the way — and we did today.”
UF bounced back from a mistake-filled loss at Utah to open the season and beat No. 11 Tennessee two weeks later in the Swamp. Florida followed a 33-14 no-show at Kentucky with high-scoring wins against Vanderbilt and South Carolina.
The upcoming schedule is more daunting. Mertz said the Gators won’t be intimidated.
“We know what this team has,” he said. “We know that our best is still out there.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
