Gators head coach Billy Napier is watching how his team handles a rare dose of hype this season following Florida's upset of No. 21 LSU last week at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. (Photo: Lorenzo Vasquez/UAA Communications)
Gators Aim to Grow, Not Die Following Big Win Over LSU
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — He never specifically mentioned the movie, but listening to Gators head coach Billy Napier, he sounded a lot like Andy Dufresne in the 1994 classic "Shawshank Redemption," as he discussed his team's challenge heading into Saturday's matchup against No. 10-ranked Ole Miss.
If the Gators are going to find their dream life on the beach in Zihuatanejo — a bowl berth would be a steady first step toward paradise — they must have the mindset wrongly convicted Dufresne had as he talked to his buddy Red and imagined life outside of prison.
"You're either growing, or you're dying,'' Napier said.
Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins in Shawshank, said, "Get busy living, or get busy dying."
Of course, none of Napier's players were alive 30 years ago when the movie flopped at the box office, but it became an instant classic when it was released on video. Still, they appreciate Napier's message coming off an upset of then-No. 21 LSU last week.
"It's the understanding that we have to continue to work and continue to get better. We fought through adversity, negative adversity, really well this season,'' senior receiver Chimere Dike said. "When positive things happen, they can be distractions as well. The way that we've handled our past situation speaks to the kind of way that we like to approach it, and that's to go back to work."
Florida rebounded from its poor performance at Texas with its biggest win of the season, thrilling a sold-out crowd at The Swamp with its third consecutive home win in the return of true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway from a hamstring injury.
The Gators sacked LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier six times, and Lagway passed for 226 yards and a touchdown, which helped the Gators snap a five-game losing streak against the Tigers. When Jadan Baugh raced 55 yards to the end zone to seal the game with 3:48 remaining, The Swamp roared like 1994.
"Guys came in wanting that win really badly," edge rusher Jack Pyburn said. "We worked really hard to come back from a pretty bad letdown game the previous week, and we wanted to respond in the right way and show that we were that team that we knew we could be. We showed that we can be a team that's serious to deal with."
The Rebels are next up. Ole Miss has won three in a row to return to the College Football Playoff hunt after losing midseason games to Kentucky and LSU, two teams the Gators have beaten during their three-game home win streak.
Meanwhile, when telling the story of Florida's 2024 season, Rebels coach Lane Kiffin plays a minor role. When the Gators dropped to 1-2 after lopsided home losses to Miami and Texas A&M, Kiffin was prominently mentioned as a potential replacement for Napier should the Gators make a coaching change. Everyone from Paul Finebaum to your next-door neighbor had Kiffin at the No. 1 target.
Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin hushed that storyline when he wrote a letter to Gator Nation saying that Napier would continue as Florida's coach. The letter arrived two days before Florida's 49-17 loss at Texas, which caused additional angst among the Orange & Blue faithful.
However, when many expected the Gators to wilt and limp toward the end of the regular season, they responded with perhaps their most meaningful win in Napier's three seasons.
In a span of four hours, Lagway became the most popular man in town, and Napier danced in the locker room during the postgame celebration. Napier had removed his dancing shoes by the time he stepped to the podium for his Monday press conference.
"I would like to see some maturity from our team,'' he said. "This group has been able to ignore the noise. Can we sort through the hype a little bit and stay consistent in the way we prepare, our practice habits, our self-discipline, our film review? I think long-term as a program, to go where we want to go, we're going to have to navigate that week in and week out. This league, in a playoff format, will challenge that.
"Are we mature enough to handle all the praise, and can we turn it around and do it again?"
George Gumbs Jr. and Shemar James celebrate one of Florida's six sacks against LSU. (Photo: Trenton Bardi/UAA Communications)
The Gators are heavy underdogs on Saturday, with the Rebels visiting The Swamp for the first time in nine years. Ole Miss quarterback Jackson Dart (3,409 yards passing, 22 TD, 4 INT) runs the Rebels' dangerous offense, which leads the Southeastern Conference in yards per game (539.5), scoring (40.7) and passing offense (365.7).
The Gators need to avoid another letdown, or the score could be similar to the Texas loss. Florida reunited in a big way against LSU, and after the victory, players and coaches celebrated with fans as they sang the alma mater.
"A big thing that we preach in the locker room is, no matter what's going on, you know, outside of the building, having that main focus on the guys that are in that room,'' senior linebacker Derek Wingo said. "After a big-time win, us all locking arms, you know, singing the alma mater, and just giving thanks to everyone that came out and supported at the same time. It's so much of a relief just to know that all the hard work and preparation that we've put together to be able to go out and compete very well."
The Gators did some living last Saturday night. They seek to stay alive this Saturday. They can become bowl-eligible with a victory and, more importantly, get closer to the paradise this program once called home.
"We have to earn the right to win, and I think that's got to be the approach,'' Napier said. "It's important that we hit the reset button here."
