After the devastating defeat against Texas A&M, Billy Napier's time in Florida is running out

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Tom Petty's “Runnin' Down a Dream” played in the background of the long-empty and rain-soaked Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Saturday night.

But when beleaguered Florida coach Billy Napier headed to the locker room after another lackluster double-digit home loss, this one a 33-20 defeat to a Texas A&M team that was playing with a first-year backup quarterback, not even Petty could drown out the boos. Napier briefly shook hands with the university's interim president, Kent Fuchs, who was waiting beneath the goalpost, and then Napier disappeared under the stands as frustrated fans shouted down what a growing number of Florida fans, some of whom are heavily invested financially in the program, are now saying out loud.

“Fire him!” a woman screamed amid boos.

In his post-match press conference, Napier took responsibility for his team's poor play (1-2) this season and said there were no excuses.

“I don't blame them…” Napier said of the fans' booing. “I mean, if you play a certain way in this arena, you're going to get criticized at the end of the day. This is one of those places where there's history, tradition and expectations. A lot of really good football teams have played in this stadium in the past. If you play ugly ball and it maybe doesn't look quite the way we all want it to, then that's just the way it is.

“To tell you the truth, I probably would have done the same thing.”

The other sad truth for Napier is that his already shaky coaching career in Florida now hangs by a thread. You could see it on his face, on his players' faces, and even on the face of athletic director Scott Stricklin, who sat quietly in the back of the room during Napier's press conference.

Napier has worked tirelessly to return Florida to national prominence. He has created a healthy culture in the locker room, treated people right and done his job in a way that makes it impossible not to like the guy.

What he hasn't managed to do is win enough games or provide tangible evidence that the program is on course for a championship, which is standard in Florida. Napier is now 6-11 against SEC opponents. The Gators have lost seven straight games against Power 4 opponents, four of them at home. A losing season would be his third in a row and the fourth in a row for the program. (Napier's severance package would be about $26 million and sources told ESPN that high-level boosters have been raising the money for it.)

The home losses are especially frustrating for Florida fans, many of whom didn't come back after a 47-minute blitz at the end of the first quarter. Texas A&M took a 20-0 halftime lead, and the Swamp was less than half full by the start of the fourth quarter. Napier has now lost six home games in just over two seasons. Steve Spurrier, who coined the nickname “Swamp,” had a career home record of 68-5. Urban Meyer had a 35-5 record.

“I think there's been tremendous progress,” Napier said. “I think my frustration is with how we've played two of the last three weeks. That's what frustrates me. I think we've done a lot of good things as far as the work behind the walls and the organization as a whole. I really believe that, and I think most people familiar with our program would say that.”

“So we're not getting the result we want on the pitch at the moment, but ultimately you're judged on that to a certain extent in that area. So that's the nature of the beast.”

Whether or not Florida decision-makers agree with that is a matter of serious debate. Stricklin said on the Paul Finebaum Show before the opening game against Miami, which was lost 41-17, that he believes Napier will be Florida's coach for a “long, long time.”

Stricklin added that Florida has been patient as a university.

“I think this patience will be rewarded,” he said.

Patience in college football can become fickle, especially when a team seems so ill-equipped to compete against the best teams. Remember, Texas A&M had a quarterback in Mike Elko who was making his first career start for a first-year coach. The Aggies also entered the game having lost nine straight road games against SEC opponents; their last win had been nearly three years.

And yet Texas A&M rushed for 310 yards — which Napier called “disgusting and ultimately my responsibility” — and held Florida to 52 yards on the ground. At one point in the first half, the Aggies had 203 yards on offense, while the Gators had minus-7. Florida missed tackles on defense and repeatedly struggled to stop Texas A&M on key third down attempts.

Napier was loudly booed as he left the field at halftime, and boos were also heard when a video of him making a public announcement was shown on the big screen a few minutes earlier.

He's not naive and neither are his players. They know how restless the fans are now, and most of the outside attention will be on how long Napier lasts. None of his three predecessors (Dan Mullen, Jim McElwain and Will Muschamp) lasted four full seasons before being fired.

Quarterback Graham Mertz said Napier tore the team apart in the locker room, telling players that the last two losses were his fault.

“We all thought, 'Nah, coach, that's our fault. We're not doing our job,'” Mertz said. “I think that shows how much responsibility we've taken on over the course of the year. Everyone knows we can do a better job. … We're all in this together.”

Mertz, who started and alternated with rookie DJ Lagway at quarterback, added: “There is no coach I would rather play for.”

Napier is aware of the negativity that has engulfed the program outside the dressing room and is aware that its uncertain future will dominate the airwaves and message boards.

“The most important thing for this group is that they stick together, right?” Napier said. “Because that's what they're going to have 25 years from now. They're going to have those relationships with their teammates. That's critical, no matter how negative it may be and will be from the outside. … We may not be able to control what people say about us from the outside, but we can control what we do from the inside, the words we speak, the actions we take, our attitude, our effort, our approach. And that's going to be the challenge, right? Can we do that and can we improve?”

It's no secret that Florida's schedule is getting more and more challenging. They travel to Mississippi State next week, have a bye, and then face UCF at home on Oct. 5. Five of the Gators' final seven games are against nationally ranked teams, including Tennessee, Georgia, Texas and Ole Miss, all of which were ranked in the AP Top 10 in Week 3.

Will Napier make it to the finish line? Again, patience in college football is about as plentiful as ice-cold water in a swamp. And patience in this particular swamp is all but gone.

Regardless of how things turn out, Napier said his focus will not change.

“The biggest challenge in leadership, I think, is putting your ego aside a little bit and making decisions that reflect that,” Napier said. “Look, for me, all of my decisions are about looking after the people you've entrusted with something – the players, the staff. That's probably what I struggle with the most. If we're not playing well, what can I do to help the young guys in the dressing room? Because I've seen them work their asses off since January and you want the reward for the players.”

“That’s what motivates you.”