One Game In, Challenge Gets Harder for Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators burst onto Spurrier/Florida Subject for Saturday’s season opener in opposition to Miami, decided to complete sturdy, a mantra they used all through preseason camp.

One drawback: they by no means received began.

On a sun-splashed afternoon at The Swamp that featured all of the trimmings that make faculty soccer so distinctive, Florida fizzled in opposition to its historic rival from down south, dropping 41-17 to the No. 19-ranked Hurricanes. By the point the fourth quarter began and freshman quarterback DJ Lagway took over for injured starter Graham Mertz, many within the sold-out crowd of 90,544 had already exited the constructing.

“They beat us at this time, and I haven’t got a ton of excuses,” Gators head coach Billy Napier stated at his deflated postgame press convention. “Miami outplayed us, they out-coached us, and provides them credit score.

“I imply, it is embarrassing, to be fairly sincere with you. That is how I really feel. That is how our youngsters really feel.”

The highly-anticipated begin to Napier’s third season couldn’t have gone a lot worse for the Gators, who suffered their first defeat in a house opener in 35 years. The Gators owned an NCAA-best 34-game win streak in house openers relationship to a 24-19 loss to Ole Miss in 1989, the season earlier than Steve Spurrier returned to his alma mater and took the Gators to unimaginable heights.

The Gators awakened Sunday morning with a six-game dropping streak and extra questions than solutions.

The difficulty began quickly after kickoff Saturday when the Gators may muster solely 13 yards on their opening drive. The Hurricanes took over at their 16 following a Florida punt and blew down the sector behind switch quarterback Cam Ward, who capped an 11-play, 84-yard drive with a 9-yard landing go to Cam McCormick, a 26-year-old tight finish in his ninth season of faculty soccer. Sadly for the Gators, the man-against-boys theme continued as Ward, the gifted switch from Washington State, shredded UF’s protection in a 26-for-35, 385-yard, three-touchdown efficiency.

Apart from an interception within the first quarter by Gators linebacker Shemar James that led to Trey Smack’s 41-yard subject aim, Ward confronted few hurdles and a nonexistent go rush a lot of the afternoon.

“I really feel like there have been quite a lot of self-inflicted wounds,” James stated. “They executed once we did not. That is why the scoreboard turned out prefer it did. This shocked me. It is simply the primary sport. We have loads to go. This sport will not outline us.”

The Gators should play a lot better than they did on Saturday to make sure that occurs. A expensive roughing-the-passer penalty on Justus Boone on third-and-10 saved Miami’s opening drive alive, resulting in Ward’s landing go to McCormick.

That was the primary signal that maybe 2024 wouldn’t be a lot completely different than 2023 when the Gators misplaced their remaining 5 video games to complete 5-7.

Boone, a well-respected veteran who missed final season as a consequence of a knee harm, stated performs like that may’t occur.

“I take full accountability, full accountability for that,” he stated. “We have been simply speaking about it within the crew room. I used to be simply telling them about how I take — the primary mistake. I really feel like I used to be the one who made the primary mistake. I used to be the one to place us on a nasty path by getting that roughing-the-passer, simply an undisciplined play, undisciplined name, and that is one thing I’ve set to work on for myself, and that is my take from it.”

Nonetheless, there was ample time for the Gators to reply and take management of the sport. They by no means got here shut aside from a 71-yard landing run by senior Montrell Johnson Jr. that reduce Miami’s result in 17-10 late within the first half. Miami was the one to reply as Ward related with Xavier Restrepo for a 24-yard scoring strike with 45 seconds left earlier than halftime, placing the Hurricanes up 24-10 on the break.

In a matchup between former colleagues Napier and Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal, each getting into their third seasons with outsiders questioning which one would depart with a much-needed win, Cristobal received that prize.

Miami led 38-10 late within the third quarter when Mertz suffered a concussion and was changed by Lagway. With 1 / 4 to play, the Hurricanes have been already in celebration mode.

“I knew once I received to Miami, there was quite a lot of work to do, and these guys have been via quite a bit, they usually made the choice that it was sufficient, they’ve had sufficient, they usually have been going to show that by the best way they performed the sport,” Cristobal stated. “It is a massive rivalry sport for us. I by no means received to play in a sport like this. Miami hasn’t been right here in 16 years and hasn’t received in 20-plus years. So, you suppose this sport was massive? You suppose the quantity of animosity and hatred, unhealthy blood between the fanbases, you suppose it amped it up slightly bit? Come on, it was via the roof.”

Following an offseason marked by off-the-field adjustments for the Gators, they have to regroup and alter their fortunes between the strains. It is not going to be simple with the nation’s most demanding schedule.

Napier got here beneath hearth from the standard critics on social media following the sport. He spoke confidently about his crew all summer season and the way the tradition and roster have improved. The Gators made nice strides within the weight room, Mertz’s return for a remaining season offered a succesful subject normal, and a mixture of transfers and true freshmen boosted the expertise.

Nonetheless, none of that produced the outcomes the Gators and their followers hoped for within the season opener.

If the age-old query in sports activities ever applies, the place do they go from right here? – this looks like a type of occasions. The Gators have every week to arrange to host Samford, the one supposed cupcake on the schedule.

“There is not any excuses,” Napier stated. “Maintain our mouths shut, present up and work. We now have to do higher. Maintain it easy. That is how I really feel. I do suppose that our gamers will present up, and they’ll reply.”

First, they have to begin higher in the event that they plan to complete with a victory.