The natives were not restless. They were apoplectic. Such was the atmosphere in Gainesville following a 41-17 season-opening loss to in-state rival Miami. The fanbase could not make Billy Napier disappear fast enough.
Nearly four months later, Napier was praising those clad in orange and blue for packing the lower seating bowl at Raymond James Stadium following the Gators’ 33-8 pasting of Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl.
“To see Gator Nation out there in full force was special,” the coach said in his postgame presser. “Great to finish the right way, and I am really proud of our players.”
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He should be really proud of himself for dodging the pitchforks that were thrust his way following the beating administered by the Hurricanes in the Swamp. The losses and the calls – screams? — for change continued during and after a 49-17 embarrassment in Austin against Texas that left Napier’s squad 4-5. There seemed little escape from the losing considering the Gators were in the middle of a four-week gauntlet against Georgia, the Longhorns, LSU and Ole Miss. All four were in the top 25 and three were in the top 10 on game day.
Then something happened.
“I was so impressed with how the players took ownership and the players bringing solutions to the table,” said Napier. “All of a sudden, you have confidence that you can play with anybody, and that’s what happened about midway through the season.”
The Gators began the second half of their schedule with a 48-20 homecoming win over Kentucky that improved their mark to 4-3. The victory also ushered in the DJ Lagway era. While the true freshman quarterback started against FCS member Samford one week after the Miami debacle, he accounted for 305 of UF’s 476 yards of offense – while averaging an eye-opening 37 yards per completion — against the Wildcats in his first start against an FBS team.
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Running back Jadan Baugh made his first career start against Kentucky and tied a school record with five rushing touchdowns to highlight a day in which he ran for 106 yards on 22 carries. It was the first time in program history the backfield consisted of a quarterback/running back duo of true freshmen. Indeed, Gators fans had something the cheer about and look forward to.
Sure, there were growing pains as the SEC slate peeled away. At 4-5 following the defeat at Texas, there seemed to be little hope of any postseason discussion given then-No. 21 LSU and then-No. 9 Ole Miss were on their way to Gainesville. That was until a defense that played well all season stepped it up big time against the Tigers (seven sacks) and Rebels (three turnovers) while Lagway and the offense did enough to win both games and clinch bowl eligibility.
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A rout of Florida State in the annual affair between the teams closed the regular season. Though Lagway threw two first-half picks in the Gasparilla Bowl to scuttle Florida drives, he settled down, settled in and earned MVP honors. The win capped four-game win streak and an 8-5 season, something that seemed unthinkable in September.
“I am really proud of how the coaches and players collaborated to get us back on course,” said Napier. “It could have easily gone sideways after the start of the season, but we have confidence and belief and felt we could play with anyone over the last half of the season. To win four in a row in impressive fashion against really good teams is a great way to finish.”
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