GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Head Coach Billy Napier’s tenure with the Florida Gators was filled with question marks.
On Saturday, his team held off Mississippi State, defeating the Bulldogs, 23-21 Then on Sunday, Florida ended the coaching scenario with an exclamation point as Napier was fired from his position amidst a 3-4 record.
“Billy built a tremendous culture of accountability and growth among the young men he led each day,” said Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin. “His organized and detailed approach had a meaningful impact across all levels of our program.”
Napier finished with a 22-23 record as Florida crested under him last season. The Gators won their last four games, including a 33-8 defeat of Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Napier’s removal was also a potential issue last season before the strong finish.
The Gators’ head coach had been under fire for two years after Florida was only 11-14 in his first two seasons, with a 30-3 Las Vegas Bowl loss to Oregon State.
“I just kind of focus on what I can control what’s going out there,” said sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway. “Throwing some completions, moving the stakes and scoring touchdowns, and try to win a game. That’s all I can control.”
Wide receiver coach Billy Gonzales takes over the Gators as head coach on an interim basis.
Florida 23, Mississippi State 21 – Florida led for most of the game before one of the most dramatic endings of the season in The Swamp.
The Bulldogs were in position to pull out their first SEC win in the last 15 games when Florida defensive tackle Michai Boireau picked off a MSU quarterback Blake Shapen pass to preserve the win.
Shapen had driven the Bulldogs to the Florida 29-yard line with 21 seconds remaining. The former Baylor Bear threw to Anthony Evans, III, on the slant off the right side, but Boireau intercepted the pass when he read the play and dropped into coverage to give the Gators the win.
“Coach called a play where the two D-tackles drop back in coverage,” said Boireau. “I knew where my zone was, dropped back in my zone. I saw the quarterback looking at me, because I read the quarterback’s eyes. Seen that ball coming to me, put my hands up, and caught it.”
The 6-3 freshman from Fairburn, Ga., checks in at 349 pounds, and he checked out Mississippi State with his pick.
“It ain’t over ‘til the clock hits triple zero,” said Boireau. “We just know when we (are) on that field, it’s all about execution. We got to get takeaways. You got to poke the ball out, intercept the ball, whatever we got to do.”
Kicker Kyle Ferrie had already missed from 41 yards out with 1:36 remaining in the first half, but he came into the game 7 of 9 on his field goal attempts and had converted all 26 of his extra points.
He had a school record 55-yard field goal earlier in the season against Southern Miss.
“We wanted to be right around the 20-yard line,” Bulldogs coach Jeff Lebby explained. “I felt like that was one of those things where it’s an incredibly safe field-goal spot for us.”
On the Offensive: Check only the numbers in this game, and 23-21 looks like it could have been the halftime score. Lagway and Shapen offered a mesmerizing quarterback battle.
Lagway steadily moved the ball with flat passes and shorter routes, although he hit Vernell Brown, III, on a 38-yard fly pattern from the left slot. He completed 20 of 34 passes for 270 yards. Eight Gators caught passes as Brown brought in five for 95 yards.
An Afternoon Run: Florida running back Jaden Baugh has been one of the most consistent backs in the nation.
Baugh runs well between the tackles with a quick first step. He also possesses tremendous speed as a threat to break outside for long runs.
Baugh set a career record on Saturday with 150 yards on 23 carries. He had a 10-yard touchdown run that gave the Gators a 10-7 lead early in the first quarter.
Baugh had a 60-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, which was nullified by a holding penalty.
He picked up 16 yards which set up kicker Trey Smack’s second field goal to give Florida a 13-7 advantage.
“Keeping my composure and keeping the team’s composure, keeping their heads together, pushing, passing it, finishing right way,” said Baugh.
Top Dogs: Shapen was accurate and found wide receivers downfield. He threw for 324 yards while completing 24 of 36 passes.
He threw o Anthony Evans, III, for 48 yards on the game’s first drive. The pass play set up the Bulldogs on the Gators’ 21-yard line and led to Kamario Taylor’s two-yard touchdown carry.
Evans had 11 catches for 107 yards, while Brenan Thompson amassed 155 yards on seven catches.
Thompson and Evans had both over 100 yards receiving in the Bulldogs’ 24-20 upset of then-No. 12 Arizona State on Sept. 6.
Running back Davon Booth scored two touchdowns, each cutting into the Gators’ leads.
No doubt, Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby is in the middle of a rebuilding project as he massively improved the talent on this team bringing in 60 players last season, and then bringing in 34 transfers for this season.