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Florida coach Billy Napier addressed some of the concerns surrounding Gator football where the program will turn after Saturday’s loss to Miami in a news conference Monday.
Picking Up The Pieces
Game 2. #GoGators 🐊 pic.twitter.com/aanVMU9iUw
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 2, 2024
Now in his third season as head coach of the Gators, a blowout loss against rival Miami and a sixth consecutive loss dating back to last season have left several questions for where Napier will go from here.
Napier began the news conference by addressing specifically what went wrong against Miami on Saturday:
Who’s Under Center?
A major question looming for the Gators and Napier is who starts at quarterback this Saturday and beyond.
Graham Mertz through nearly three quarters of action against Miami had only 91 yards and an interception and is now in concussion protocol.
Freshman five-star recruit DJ Lagway got his first taste of game action vs. UM, but Napier gave no update if a decision was made on a starter for the foreseeable future.
Napier clarified Lagway would be getting the first-team reps in practice while Mertz recovers and showed trust in the freshman:
Looking Toward Saturday
With Florida (0-1) clooking ahead to a matchup with the Samford Bulldogs (0-1) on Saturday, Napier urged the necessity of being prepared for the opponent regardless of their FCS status.
He praised the talent of the Bulldogs and coach Chris Hatcher, as well as referencing Florida’s tightly contested 70-52 win over Samford in 2021.
The Gators kickoff at home against Samford is at 7 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network+, 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF).
