Rapid Reaction to Florida Gators' 41-17 loss vs. Miami

hurricanes uh not what the gator wanted to start their season I don't think really what anybody expected this was a game that even though Miami was favored it was expected to be close uh but uh but nonetheless uh the gator Got to Now go back to the drawing board and figure out where they go from here U the things that they thought that they had improved on both sides of the ball did not show up against the Miami Hurricanes and Nick this looked a lot like it did in 2002 uh when Florida lost 41-6 to Miami um a lot like that today yeah uh 33e streak of home opener wins here uh on the field behind us snapped uh the worst season opening loss since 2017 uh to Michigan out there in Dallas at Jerry world uh we didn't have to pay for flights for this one though um it's it's this isn't the outcome I or an outcome that I thought we would see um I kind of had bought into the strength program i' boughten into like Florida is kind of quietly confident quietly cocky like they know something that we don't and and you're as the season got closer it kind of became more out there a little bit and um now I'm wondering what is Florida's mentality because if you had all of this confidence in yourself based on all the work you put in yeah uh in the off season you got punched in the mouth today and you realized oh everyone also worked hard in the off season so to me it's and added portal players got good um to me like Florida just wasn't competitive um at no point on Saturday in the season opener against the Miami Hurricanes was Florida competitive or a threat to win that football game um all fa actually not All Phases of the ball shout out to special teams the Matt did its job 11 guys every time 11 different jersey numbers every time um but offensively defensively it looked like Florida joined me on paternity leave and just didn't get the memo that we were supposed to come back to work Saturday yeah this was um they got up on the wrong foot here and and look this is um Florida could have lost this game but competed in a way yeah that made people feel good about the team that made people feel like the season was not lost uh that didn't make them start really questioning this program and the folks that are running it and now it is at an all-time high and I think the doubters and the people that uh really needed to see something from this team and see something from Napier didn't get that today and again Florida could have been competitive in this game but they never really were they had a glimmer of hope with that Montreal Johnson touchdown run shades of L Michel perine a little bit on that play and they just weren't able to capitalize on that momentum uh cam Ward had all day to throw he just picked the Gators apart 385 yards three touchdowns you know and it was funny nick uh coming into the game Florida secondary had been touted by their portal upgrades as as the strength of their defense in a in a in a very improved unit whereas Miami secondary even Gary Ferman told us it is their weakling yeah it was the weakest spot on their team that didn't play out that on Saturday Miami's uh secondary kept Florida's receivers in check Eugene wison Eugene Wilson really didn't do much two of his uh seven receptions came in the fourth quarter from DJ lagway uh and then obviously cam Ward and Miami's receivers just torch Florida's defense now I will say for Florida's defensive backs uh that pass rush did not get home uh today so there wasn't much help from from that aspect uh Ward just had all day to throw and then obviously on Florida side the gator lose Graham Mert's uh second game in a row that he's played and been knocked out of uh and that's a site that Florida fans don't want to see uh he had not been playing a great game just 91 yards passing before he left late in the third quarter his lowest production since he joined the Florida football team uh he's now in concussion protocol Nicki wrote about that at Gator online and what that means moving forward uh but if there is something that Florida fans got to see today that they wanted that was DJ lagway Behind center for the Gators and maybe he makes his first career start next Saturday against Sanford yeah I'm just looking down here at the stats uh lagway finished three of six had the interception I think it was in tipped pass uh got to go back and watch it but tip pass uh 31 yards uh added uh 24 yards rushing um it's going to be it's going to look different if DJ is the quarterback listen I don't know that we've talked about a ton but he's had turnover issues in the spring and in the fall and we kind of said hey just freshman going through uh freshman Growing Pains but uh it'll be interesting to see uh put a story up went through and found all the concussion protocol uh that's mandated by the NCAA and the steps that Graham has to go through um so check that out um on Gator online but if you're gonna have to start DJ this is probably the only week of the Season that you want to do it with Stanford coming into town um it's it's more than Graham you know I know everyone wants to see Florida push the ball down the field but I thought with the questions that I had about Florida's offensive line specifically the right side uh and with Miami's pass rush and and Ruben Bane didn't even play I think he played like a like a a drive um and and Florida struggled to keep a clean pocket three sacks for Grant Merz I thought Florida would go to almost like the Tennessee game last year where it was Trey Trey Wilson left Trey Wilson right TR Wilson up the middle just quick passes almost like the 2018 Dan Mullen game in Starkville when Dan knew what his current offensive line was and what they had gotten on defensive line and it was just screening Slants and and getting the ball out quick I thought if you wanted to see the downfield passing game it would be a different week not this week but that east to west passing game just just did not work and that's what we saw that's what they did they tried to go east to west they didn't really push the ball vertical down the field they took some shots uh but just uh man Nick this is it's not good uh I feel for the Florida fans shout out to them many of them weree white like the administration L of BL standing on the field it wasn't a white out but there was a lot of people that participated in the request to wear white fans showed up the atmosphere outside of the swamp before the game was electric how it felt inside the stadium right before kickoff was electric and then the energy just left the stadium uh it's unfortunate that the swamp and the fans have continued to show up these last few seasons and the football team has not uh you know I give credit to the students that used to be a big talking point with them uh but nonetheless uh they need more from their team Nick yeah I gave that I gave the fans a shout out um this the environment was incredible and I I'm known for getting on the students for not showing up on time um not today uh the swamp was electric this is what uh is special about college football um and you just didn't have anything and even even when you didn't have anything to cheer about the guys the men women kids dogs whoever was here uh you were finding things to stay in the game trying to make an impact um it it came alive when Montell broke that off but the defense immediately allows cord and Miami to go straight down the field yeah and getting off the field just like last year was another issue no doubt we got a Super Chat yeah we got a super chat um want toh answer this basically got asked on a scale of one to 100 where are we Nick and I as it relates to firing Nate I don't know if we'll put a scale on it but I'll tell you what Nick I felt like going into this season despite the hot seat talk despite his record the first two years because of his buyout because of the president situation uh it would take a lot for a coaching change to happen in year three I don't think Florida wants to make a coaching change in year three but I will say that after today and this result this is the first time in my mind that I felt like this is something that could realistically happen this fall and uh obviously ly Florida's season is far from over this game could potentially not Define their year if they bounce back from this if Miami hey they might run the table in the ACC or at least win their conference maybe they become a playoff team and this loss doesn't look as bad but right now it's ugly it's embarrassing and this is the first time I felt like throughout this year during the off season obviously now that we've got to the fall that I felt like this could actually happen because I didn't feel like that before today's game yeah and and I said on our show before too I didn't know that there was a win total a black and white number that he needed to get to because I I could spin a situation where Florida is six and six but looked good in those six losses and you sawn and you saw some progression um and and you would feel good better about that six and six scenario versus a seven and5 scenario with games like that with games that we just saw if you go to Jacksonville and lose by 20 again if you go to Texas and get blown out getting blown out by Miami after the hype and and and that quiet confidence that I talk build up yeah man um I did put it up it's in my thoughts I did I had Billy Napier's contract and what the buyout is it's 2.67 million um I know that there's different levels of booster um and the boosters that can stroke checks that effect change have basically said we're tired of hitting the reset button we're tired of doing this every three four years and and starting over um I I'll have to check back in with them but outcomes like that uh people get more tired of watching that than they do stroking a new check um I don't know that with the president situation I I guess you know you've got the Board of Trustees uh would sign off on on on making a coaching change but with the president situation and I mean I've said it before I don't know that Scott Strickland hire is the next football coach so you be talking about an inum president hiring a PR an ad and a coach like it's but listen I it's not something I thought we'd be talking about uh this year because I thought Florida I I drank some of the Kool-Aid negative Nick negative Nick got positive uh that baby yeah you got soft having a baby made me soft but you know um if if this is the kind of Florida that we saw like I I especially defensively I brought in I said on our show like Florida's going to be better defensively that was the exact same defense we've watched the last two years no pressure can't get thei was a little bit better it's gonna be hard to cover in the secondary if Cam Ward like a statue which just like I could have completed some was casually walking around he could have gotten a ticket for loitering in the pocket the way he was walking around and hanging out in the pocket and then there was the one play where Cersei had a chance to sack him and missed him and he throws a touchdown fast that was just um but to your question zier uh thanks for the the Super Chat you know the one thing about Florida's losses under Napier for the most part there have been some um games where Florida wasn't competitive but at least recently even dating back to last season there were some close losses for the Gator there were games where they were in it in the fourth quarter even had a lead in the fourth quarter didn't quit when they could have there's some things that you could point to it's like well hey at least they're just not getting blown out you can't say that today and again this is just one game Florida lost to Utah week one uh last year and then they beat Tennessee at home and everybody was feeling great about the team and they rattled off some wins and they were what five- two going into the bye so it can change if you can get some wins in SEC play and uh show some Improvement but uh it's not looking good right now and uh for the first time I I think that the it's it's a reality here in Gainesville so uh we'll keep covering it obviously we'll keep bringing you guys the latest on where this team is at and uh what's up next for the Gator Sanford Saturday we'll be back I hope you guys will be as well uh appreciate yall waiting all off season it was a long summer it's unfortunate that this was uh how we kicked off week one for Florida football should be better in week two uh opponent won't be as good that that's for sure uh but we'll have more coverage for you guys at Gator online and a preview show for next week's game for Nick delor I'm Zach alerie we'll see you guys next time