GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
“Sun Belt” Billy Napier may need sun screen on his back side as he is back on the hot seat yet again following an 18-16 home loss to unranked South Florida on Saturday that knocked the No. 13 Gators (1-1) out of the Associated Press rankings.
Napier dropped to 20-20 overall in his fourth season at Florida after leaving Louisiana-Lafayette, where he was 40-12 and 27-5 in the Sun Belt with four bowls. Florida plays at LSU (2-0) in Tiger Stadium Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC). Napier is 1-2 against LSU coach Brian Kelly, who is also in his fourth season with the Tigers. Florida defeated LSU, 27-16, at The Swamp last season.
Kelly, meanwhile, is 31-11 overall after a 23-7 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday and 17-7 in the SEC in his fourth season.
And here is my infamous tweet from Sept. 3, 2022, after Napier won his debut at Florida, 29-26, over No. 7 Utah. The next night Kelly lost his opener, 24-23, to unranked Florida State in the Superdome.
Congrats to Florida AD @ScottStricklin for doing what LSU didn’t – not looking down its nose and having the guts to hire a coach from a smaller school like Louisiana.
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) September 4, 2022
Note, the tweet did not say LSU should have hired Napier, rather credited Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin for hiring Napier.
GUILBEAU 2021 COLUMN: LSU SHOULD HAVE HIRED LANE KIFFIN OR LINCOLN RILEY
My column above during LSU’s coaching search instead said LSU athletic director Scott Woodward should have hired the first true offensive coordinator in LSU history to be LSU’s head coach – either Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin or Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley. Kelly is better than both of those since 2022, by the way, as Kiffin is 31-10 and 16-9. Riley, who was not interested in LSU and instead went to USC, is 28-14 and 17-7 there.
BRIAN KELLY HAS THE TALENT TO WIN HIS FIRST NATIONAL TITLE, AND HE KNOWS IT
And like last year, Napier is in danger of not surviving the season.
“Not good enough. And it’s my responsibility,” he said after the loss to South Florida. “I think when you evaluate the game, the red-zone missed opportunities caught up with us, and we let them hang around. Certainly, the penalties (11 for 103 yards) contributed. It extended their drives, and it slowed down our drives. You add the bad snap for the safety, and you lose the explosive-play battle and you lose the turnover margin. You don’t deserve the right to win. We had seven possessions in the second half and punted six times.”
Napier was in a hurry to exit the press conference.
“I want to keep it short and sweet. I think we can do much better,” he said. “We can coach better. We can play better. Obviously, I don’t like these any more than our fans do, or you do. We have to do much better. I think we have a group that will respond. I think that sums up the game.”
But there were many questions, including one that asked if he was the “right coach” for Florida.
“Yeah, I think I’m more concerned with doing my job to help lead these young men,” he said. “I think that’s a big-picture question, and I think right now it’s more about today. It’s more about what we do tomorrow, and I think that’s what we got to get consumed with. I’m consumed with doing the best job I can do for the players, leading the staff in getting the football fixed, because ultimately that’s going to decide how far we go around here.”
BILLY NAPIER VS. THE NOISE
Asked about dealing with the overwhelming “noise” of fans who want him fired, Napier said, “We created it. We deserve it. If you play football like that, you’re going to be criticized. It comes with the territory. The only thing you can do is go get it fixed. That’s what we’ll start working on.”
Napier was asked about rash of penalties against his team that fall into the undisciplined category.
“They’re under my leadership. It’s ultimately my responsibility,” he said. “We need to eliminate the false starts, the personal fouls. We did have a substitution penalty as well. Those are the ones, as coaches, we have to take responsibility for. I think that the players make mistakes. It’s part of the game. But I do think that ultimately it’s my responsibility. So, I think it is coaching.”
And Florida’s schedule is just now getting more difficult with the No. 3 Tigers, then at No. 5 Miami on Sept. 20, No. 7 Texas on Oct. 4 and at No. 19 Texas A&M on Oct. 11.
“Well, I don’t think there’s any question about it,” Napier said. “This will be a challenge. It’ll be a challenge for every individual in the organization, player and staff. This group has been through some of these battles before, and I’m hopeful that can help us. But, look, I’m more concerned with the football. There are a lot of positives in terms of the other stuff, but the football’s got to get better. We’ve got to take ownership of the football.”
Napier does not see a possible lack of morale as a problem.
“Yeah, we won’t have that issue,” he said. “We won’t have that problem. This group won’t splinter. There’s too much good in that room. That’s not the issue.”
Napier praised the Florida fans at the South Florida loss.
“We’re thankful. It was incredible. They were a factor,” he said. “There’s no excuse here. I’m not up here to make excuses.”
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