Fans Of Major College Football Program Were Distraught On Saturday Night
By Max Escarpio,
6 hours ago
The Florida Gators traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, in Week 7 to face the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers. Despite the Vols coming into the matchup as a 14.5-point favorite , the Gators nearly stunned Tennessee on the road.
Following a back-and-forth matchup in regulation, the Gators and Volunteers went to overtime, giving Florida a chance to pull off its biggest win of the season.
Despite the Gators' best effort, Tennessee's 23-17 win pushed Florida to 3-3, while the Volunteers advanced to 5-1 on the season.
Following the brutal loss for the Gators, UF fans were distraught.
Many fans believe Florida head coach Billy Napier should be fired from the program following the rough start to the season and his failure to get the job done in Gainesville.
"Billy Napier when it comes to calling the worse running plays of all time on 3rd and 4th down." said one fan.
"FIRE BILLY," said another fan.
"It’s great to be a Florida Gator. The coach will no longer be a Florida Gator soon. The players deserve better." mentioned another fan.
"I don’t ever want to hear Billy Napier say another word wearing the Florida gator logo," commented one fan.
"The Florida gators are just the college New York giants and it sucks that I support both of them." said one fan.
"BILLY NAPIER SOLD THE FLORIDA GATORS," said another fan.
The Gators' defense was playing phenomenal in Week 7. Tennessee went into the locker room after two scoreless quarters. UF was up 3-0 at halftime, holding one of the most explosive offenses in the country to just a field goal.
The Volunteers entered the meeting averaging 47 points per game. They've been riding the success of first-year starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who, going into the game, had posted seven touchdowns and 1,050 yards on the year.
In the win over Florida, Iamaleava produced 169 yards, completing 16-of-26 pass attempts. He also threw his first interception of the last four weeks.
Florida's defense had an interception and forced a fumble, holding the Volunteers to an extremely low third-down conversion rate. Tennessee went 4-of-15 on third-down attempts.
Despite the solid play from the Gators' defense, they struggled on offense, playing behind a two-quarterback system with Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway. Mertz ended the game with one touchdown, 98 yards and an interception, completing 9-of-17 pass attempts.
Mertz recorded one touchdown and 125 yards, completing 11-of-15 pass attempts.
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier
Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Aside from the struggles on the offensive end, fans also have a bone to pick with Napier. Many believe he should be fired after the 3-3 start, suffering losses to the Miami Hurricanes, Texas A&M Aggies and Tennessee Volunteers.
Napier has been with the program since 2022. In his first year, he led the Gators to a 6-7 record. The following season, in 2023, Florida had another disappointing year with a 5-7 record.
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