KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — At 7:29 on Saturday night, the spectacle known as Southeastern Conference football painted a striking picture of what makes these fall Saturdays special.
As more than 100,000 checkered fans at Neyland Stadium exhaled after Tennessee's 38-33 win over the Gators, the lights above the field blinked off and on. Fireworks shot into the darkening sky above the Tennessee River. And, of course, they sang "Rocky Top" to the heavens after UF quarterback
Anthony Richardson, in the most impressive performance of his career, threw his final pass with a Tennessee defender draped on his ankles. Richardson's heave was intercepted, sealing the Volunteers' first win in the series in six years.
The tale of two teams, of two proud programs vying for position in the SEC East race, persevered well beyond the final score. In their last moments as guests, a few Gators players ran to the far northeast corner of the stadium to join the UF band for a final salute. Meanwhile, at the other end, where the Gators entered the tunnel to their locker room, Tennessee players and coaches celebrated with the UT band as security personnel lined the brick wall to ensure students didn't rush the field.
About 10 minutes later, Gators head coach
Billy Napier, appearing slightly older than at the start of the game, entered a small room adjacent to the visiting locker room for his press conference.
"Nobody likes to lose,'' Napier said. "No moral victories. Back to work."
Four games into his tenure as Florida's head coach, Napier revealed more of himself as a coach on Saturday than at any time since he took over the program. Napier became a walking, talking, breathing symbol of the "scared money don't make money" quote that made him an internet celebrity last season at Louisiana. Florida converted 5 of 6 fourth-down attempts, including a gutsy fourth-and-2 at its 27-yard line, resulting in Richardson's 39-yard pass to
Justin Shorter.
The Gators had no answers defensively to slow down Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker, who passed for 349 yards, rushed for 112, threw two touchdowns and ran for one. Richardson served as the Gators' best antidote, passing for a career-high 453 yards and two scores, while adding 62 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Billy The Gambler put on his headsets Saturday, convinced that to stay in the game against the high-scoring Vols, the Gators needed to bring their track shoes. Napier studied analytics charts and situational play-calls as late as the bus ride to the stadium, reviewing as many scenarios as possible.
"I think it was required given the matchups and dynamics in the game,'' he said. "For the most part, it paid off."
Most Gators fans had seen the viral clip from Louisiana of Billy The Gambler by Saturday's display. However, they had never seen Mad Billy, the Napier that had to be restrained by support staff as officials took a long time to review whether Vols running back Jabari Small scored on second-and-goal from UF's 1. Napier, who has emphasized accountability and avoiding costly mistakes, was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
When officials ruled Small had not scored, instead of third-and-goal, Napier's penalty gave the Vols and new set of downs. Small scored on the next play.
Napier expressed contrition for the flag.
"I lost my poise," he said. "I didn't represent my team. I didn't represent the University of Florida the right way. I need to do better. I was upset with the amount of time they spent on the review. But we got an unbelievable crew and they called a great game. They let the players play."
Napier's aggressive play-calling and surprising outburst Saturday are the latest revelations about the newest Head Gator. The No. 20 Gators' loss to the No. 11 Vols elicited the typical responses on social media — a particular breed of fan is angry regardless of win, loss, or tie — but for those out there who can see the forest despite the trees of a 2-2 start, and 0-2 record in the SEC, there should be no panic.
Before the win over Utah, I thought it would be a huge accomplishment if Napier and Co. pulled an 8-4 season out of their first trip through the SEC. It was easier to see 6-6 more than a 10-2.
And guess what, that's where the Gators are.
When Richardson plays like he did Saturday, the Gators will be able to hang around with most anybody. Saturday's game reminded me a lot of the 2020 SEC Championship Game against Alabama when Kyle Trask and the offense kept the Gators in the game against Alabama's high-powered attack to make you think it was possible. This Tennessee team is not that good, but second-year coach Josh Heupel has the Vols on the rise.
Heupel's first season at Tennessee was a roller coaster. The Gators appear to be on a similar ride this season. There will be some good, some bad, and some ugly.
This UF roster is not your big brother or dad's roster. And Napier said he needs to coach better and the Gators need to play better.
He gave the critics ammunition late in the first half Saturday by calling a timeout when Tennessee faced third-and-10 deep in its territory with 1:33 left in the second quarter. The Vols converted and drove down the field for the go-ahead score before halftime. The momentum swing carried over in the second half as the Vols scored 14 consecutive points.
"I think that is one of the areas I feel like I could have helped the players a little bit,'' Napier said. "It is third-and-10, and we are trying to get it back on a short field, and we have the guy [Hooker] dead to rights. We are in a great call and he escapes a little bit and makes a great play.
"Then we gave up a big play there on the perimeter. I think that ultimately when we look back at it, that is an area that we can help the players and that I can help the players. We had control of the game, and we let it slip away right there."
Game by game, we are learning more about the 2022 Gators, Richardson, Napier and all that comes with a transition program. That's what this season was all about from the start.
