Three Takeaways from Florida’s loss to Miami
(HECTOR)
The Florida Gators host the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon to kick off the 2024 season. The Gators were completely overmatched and routed by the Miami Hurricanes 41-17 in the Swamp.
With the loss, Florida snaps their 34-game home opener winning streak which dates back to 1989. The Gators had no answers for the Hurricanes as Miami dominated Florida in every aspect of the game including coaching. Here are my three takeaways from Florida’s blowout loss versus Miami.
Miami owned Florida in the trenches
Heading into the season opener, Florida had a lot of questions about their offensive and defensive lines. It was not great last season and many wondered if the additions through the Transfer Portal would help improve Florida’s trenches.
The Miami Hurricanes’ offensive and defensive lines were hyped to some of the best in college football. They certainly lived up to their expectations and had no issues against the Gators.
Miami might be one of the best trenches Florida sees this season but that doesn’t excuse them for their poor performance and lack of discipline. Major adjustments need to be made as Florida’s trenches continue to hold this team back.
2. Billy Napier outreached by Mario Cristobal
The two former Alabama assistant coaches went up against each other for the first time in their careers. Both coaches needed to get their season off to a hot start and Cristobal’s Hurricanes looked like they wanted it more than the Gators.
The Hurricanes’ offense had no issues moving the football up and down the field. Florida was no match for Miami’s offense led by former Washington State quarterback, Cam Ward. The former Cougars gunslinger torched Florida’s secondary as he completed 26 out of 35 passes for 385 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.
Napier and the Florida offense was very stagnant and lacked creativity all afternoon. The Gators struggled to move the ball with consistency and looked very predictable. Florida might have more problems with Graham Mertz’s injury. Florida would need to count on a true freshman quarterback, DJ Lagway, against the toughest schedule in college football.
3. Are Billy Napier’s days at Florida numbered?
Coming into the 2024 season, Billy Napier was one of the biggest names on the coaching hot seat. Florida has had two consecutive losing seasons in the Napier era. Napier’s head coaching record at the University of Florida is now 11-15.
This is Billy Napier’s third season as Florida’s head coach. The vast majority of the players on Florida’s roster are the players he has recruited. Nonetheless, it doesn’t seem like anything positive has changed during his tenure.
Napier has recruited well at Florida but the product on the field is living up to the Gator Standard. It’s the point that many fans will start to turn on Napier if they haven’t already. There’s no reason a historic program like the University of Florida should have these issues.
Florida’s problems are just on the field or with coaching. It starts at the top and this could be another historically bad season for the Gators. If that’s the case, major changes at the University of Florida need to be made to save the program from more mediocrity. Let’s see if the Gators can rebound from this loss and possibly save Napier’s job.
(HECTOR)
The Florida Gators host the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon to kick off the 2024 season. The Gators were completely overmatched and routed by the Miami Hurricanes 41-17 in the Swamp.
With the loss, Florida snaps their 34-game home opener winning streak which dates back to 1989. The Gators had no answers for the Hurricanes as Miami dominated Florida in every aspect of the game including coaching. Here are my three takeaways from Florida’s blowout loss versus Miami.
Miami owned Florida in the trenches
Heading into the season opener, Florida had a lot of questions about their offensive and defensive lines. It was not great last season and many wondered if the additions through the Transfer Portal would help improve Florida’s trenches.
The Miami Hurricanes’ offensive and defensive lines were hyped to some of the best in college football. They certainly lived up to their expectations and had no issues against the Gators.
Miami might be one of the best trenches Florida sees this season but that doesn’t excuse them for their poor performance and lack of discipline. Major adjustments need to be made as Florida’s trenches continue to hold this team back.
2. Billy Napier outreached by Mario Cristobal
The two former Alabama assistant coaches went up against each other for the first time in their careers. Both coaches needed to get their season off to a hot start and Cristobal’s Hurricanes looked like they wanted it more than the Gators.
The Hurricanes’ offense had no issues moving the football up and down the field. Florida was no match for Miami’s offense led by former Washington State quarterback, Cam Ward. The former Cougars gunslinger torched Florida’s secondary as he completed 26 out of 35 passes for 385 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.
Napier and the Florida offense was very stagnant and lacked creativity all afternoon. The Gators struggled to move the ball with consistency and looked very predictable. Florida might have more problems with Graham Mertz’s injury. Florida would need to count on a true freshman quarterback, DJ Lagway, against the toughest schedule in college football.
3. Are Billy Napier’s days at Florida numbered?
Coming into the 2024 season, Billy Napier was one of the biggest names on the coaching hot seat. Florida has had two consecutive losing seasons in the Napier era. Napier’s head coaching record at the University of Florida is now 11-15.
This is Billy Napier’s third season as Florida’s head coach. The vast majority of the players on Florida’s roster are the players he has recruited. Nonetheless, it doesn’t seem like anything positive has changed during his tenure.
Napier has recruited well at Florida but the product on the field is living up to the Gator Standard. It’s the point that many fans will start to turn on Napier if they haven’t already. There’s no reason a historic program like the University of Florida should have these issues.
Florida’s problems are just on the field or with coaching. It starts at the top and this could be another historically bad season for the Gators. If that’s the case, major changes at the University of Florida need to be made to save the program from more mediocrity. Let’s see if the Gators can rebound from this loss and possibly save Napier’s job.
