Napier Asking Gators to 'Operate in Truth' to Stay Grounded After Utah Win
The national perception of the Florida Gators' 2022 season and first campaign under head coach Billy Napier has changed drastically over the last four days.
The Preseason All-SEC polling gave Florida a murky projection for Napier's first season in charge, with 181 voters reaching a consensus opinion that the Gators would finish fourth in the SEC East this year.
Just one week into the season with Saturday's upset win over No. 7 Utah under their belt, however, the Gators have made a historic rise from unranked to No. 12 in the AP Top 25; quarterback Anthony Richardson is considered a top-four Heisman Trophy candidate; Napier's first win earned him Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week honors.
Suddenly, outsiders are once again considering UF as a borderline New Year's Six Bowl-caliber squad based on its spot in the polls. There are even some Florida fans, albeit few and far between, pondering the idea that the Gators could give the reigning National Champion, No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs a run for their money in October at the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
Napier doesn't appear to view his team in the same light, however. Not quite yet, at least.
"When we evaluate the game Saturday, we were very fortunate to win the game," Napier admitted on Monday.
Napier praised his squad for its effort, physicality, mental toughness, collaboration and ability to handle adversity, particularly in critical moments of the game in all three phases. These are crucial aspects of playing winning football that Napier has honed in on during his first offseason with the program.
But when it comes to execution on the gridiron, Napier acknowledged Florida's need to continually improve.
"The film is sloppy, just so we're all on the same page," Napier stated. "I know we're ready to put the crown on the Gators, but the Gators got a lot of work to do to play at our expectation and our standard."
There certainly are areas in which Florida can play better, which should be expected following the first game under a new coaching staff.
The Gators' run defense faltered as the game went on, as the Utes jumped from 59 rushing yards at halftime to 230 when the final whistle blew. The offense committed minor, yet technical, penalties like false starts and an illegal snap that it will aim to eliminate. Quarterback Anthony Richardson threw a pass that Napier claimed "should have" been an interception on 3rd and 10 and missed a couple of early passing reads.
"I think the big challenge with the staff and the players [on Sunday while watching the film] was to control the things we could control," Napier continued. "We went through those things — communication, alignment, eye discipline, using the fundamentals and techniques that we've been coached, and then just the simple execution of your assignment and the in-game decision-making as the play is taking place."
Napier wasn't afraid to temper expectations for the Gators during the offseason as he began to rebuild and develop the roster to his standards, and much remains the same despite a tenure-opening victory that has the college football landscape buzzing about Florida's legitimacy in 2022.
His players have embraced Napier's message — "you've got to operate in truth," which he began to express to the team last Friday — not allowing the outside noise to get in the way of the task at hand or cloud Florida's need to sharpen its game up.
Redshirt freshman defensive end Tyreak Sapp, who fielded a significant role against Utah, quoted defensive line coach Sean "Chaos" Spencer to reiterate Napier's sentiment.
"You got to understand you can't be complacent," Sapp said. "You've got to understand that there's room for improvement, and the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. You've got to take that for what it is and move on to the next week and have laser beam focus on the next team and get ready for your next opponent."
The focus, now, is on the No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats, who will provide the Gators with their second top-20 opponent in The Swamp in a row to start Napier's first campaign in Gainesville.
A similar team to the Utes considering the Wildcats play physically imposing football with a stout defense and typically dependable rushing attack, a lot of the issues Florida observed on tape from its Week 1 victory can be sharpened in preparation to take on the Wildcats.
"I think we've got a little bit of the best of both worlds here. I think we've got some momentum, but we also have a team that is very self-aware," Napier explained. "I think we've got a smart group. I think they understand good football. They watched the tape. They know that they can do better."
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