Billy Napier excited about Florida's strong start on the ground vs. Tennessee: 'That's who we want to be'
Florida’s 26-point first half against Tennessee was about as good as head coach Billy Napier could’ve hoped for. After 30 minutes, the Gators led, 26-7.
And speaking with ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe at halftime, Napier was excited about the way his team had run the ball and controlled the line of scrimmage on offense. Florida went into the half averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
“That’s who we want to be and that’s who we’ve been in the past, right? This is our identity and Graham Mertz to complement that, got a chance to have a good football team,” Napier said.
Sophomore Trevor Etienne did the heaviest lifting for Florida in the first half, carrying 11 times for 119 yards and a touchdown. Montrell Johnson added a touchdown and 17 yards on his seven carries.
Mertz was sharp passing, going 17-of-20 for 146 yards and a touchdown.
Napier still sees room for improvement across the board, even if his team answered the call in the first half.
“Well our defense has done a good job getting off the field. We’re playing complementary football. We’re executing. We know execution wins. And it’s about really good communication, good fundamentals and techniques. Look, we had a couple miscues on special teams, this group can score in a hurry. We still have a lot of work left to do here to get home.”
The end of the Florida-Tennessee game wasn’t a pretty scene
Saturday night was a big night for Florida and Napier. The Gators, two weeks removed from a loss to Utah, faced a major opportunity when No. 11 Tennessee came to Gainesville with its high-powered offense in tow.
UF dominated the first half, and that carried over into the second half as the Gators pulled off the 29-16 upset. However, the final seconds of the game saw a fight break out after Josh Heupel called his final timeout. Frustrations were running high, and officials had to break up the Florida and Tennessee players.
It was an ugly ending to a big night for the Gators.
It was all Florida in the first half as the Gators took a 26-7 lead into the locker room. Tennessee battled back in the second half, though, as the Vols tried to keep pace. Ultimately, though, it wasn’t enough as UF held on for a double-digit victory to once again beat Tennessee at The Swamp.
The victory extends a streak going back to 2005. That’s the last time the Vols won in Gainesville. Florida entered Saturday night with nine straight wins over the Volunteers on its home turf, and the Gators added another one in a big way.