GAINESVILLE, Fla.: Billy Napier insisted he would “get to the bottom” of probably the most egregious sideline screwups in Florida soccer historical past.
So he talked to everybody concerned, dug in on what went improper and vowed to by no means let it occur once more, proper?
Not fairly.
“I think ultimately we made a mistake there,” Napier stated Monday.
That half was indeniable. Two days later, Napier offered little perception and even much less readability about his workforce’s particular groups gaffe in crunch time towards Arkansas.
With the sport tied at 33, Graham Mertz drove the Gators into subject-purpose vary for a profitable try. But after a 20-yard go from Mertz to Arlis Boardingham obtained Florida to the Arkansas 21-yard line with 8 seconds left and no timeouts remaining, somebody on Florida’s sideline known as for the sector-purpose unit to hurry onto the sector.
At the identical time, the offense was lining as much as spike the ball. The Gators have been in the end flagged for unlawful substitution — that they had roughly 17 gamers on the sector at one level — and the penalty pushed Trey Smack’s kick from 39 to 44 yards. Smack barely missed proper, a slight push that most likely would have been good from the pre-penalty spot.
The Gators misplaced 39-36 in additional time, ending a six-recreation dwelling profitable streak and sure stopping them from making a bowl for the primary time since 2017. Florida (5-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) must win at No. 18 LSU, at sixteenth-ranked Missouri or towards No. 4 Florida State over the following three weekends to increase its season.
“Every part of our organization is ultimately my responsibility,” Napier stated. “So I think it’s something that we can do better. It’s my job to get it done better.”
Napier has failed all season to repair recurring particular groups points, a damning search for a former Sun Belt coach who’s making greater than $7 million a yr to rebuild the Gators. He’s 11-11 in two seasons and has a minimum of a part of the fan base questioning whether or not he’s a viable lengthy-time period answer in Gainesville.
His play-calling acumen has been below assault a lot of the yr. His hiring of 30-yr-outdated defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong seems suspect of late, with the Gators giving up 39 or extra factors in three straight video games for the primary time since 1917. And his particular groups construction is perhaps scrutinized extra that the rest.
Napier doesn’t use any of his 10 on-subject assistants as a devoted particular groups coordinator. Instead, he permits analyst Chris Couch, who labored for Napier in an analogous function at Louisiana-Lafayette, to prepare the models.
Couch has been criticized so usually that he deleted a social media account weeks in the past, and his spouse has been outspoken about a few of the hate directed on the household. Among the complaints:
— The models even have been penalized repeatedly, together with as soon as within the season opener for having two guys sporting the identical quantity. That one allowed Utah to show a punt into a primary down. The Utes promptly scored.
— Florida has since missed 4 subject objectives and an additional level, and had a punt blocked for a security towards high-ranked Georgia.
— The Gators additionally did not have 11 males on the sector for a particular-groups scenario a minimum of 5 occasions this season, together with as soon as towards the Razorbacks.
The mounting miscues have overshadowed any constructive strides particular groups have made.
“Look, we can do it better,” Napier stated. “It’s pretty simple: Get 11 out there. Pretty simple.”
Added defensive again Devin Moore: “I have trust in the coaches and our special teams and our offense that we’ll get that situation handled for sure, and it won’t happen again.”
Napier stated after the Arkansas recreation that “we have a player that’s in charge” of speaking to the sideline when the sector-purpose unit ought to run onto the sector. He stated the participant misheard the sign and erroneously known as for the sector purpose.
Napier tried to clear that up Monday, to little avail.
“It’s not a player’s decision,” he stated. “For anyone to equate that or write that or think that would be inaccurate. Ultimately, one of the players is in charge of that unit, much like the quarterback when the offense takes the field.
“He calls the play and sets the cadence, and we can take the field. That’s always a coaching decision.”
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AP school soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
