Billy Napier on Kentucky loss: "We didn't earn the right to win"
Kentucky went into The Swamp and earned a victory. Defensively, it was an elite all-around performance, allowing zero points in the second half and just 279 yards overall. Offensively, it was a slow start with the line and running backs, but a strong finish. Will Levis was solid, Dane Key was great, tight ends were good and Kavosiey Smoke found his footing late.
All in all, there’s not much to complain about when you beat Florida on the road by 10 points — and that’s with a missed chip shot field goal and failed PAT. Should’ve been a 14-point win, at minimum, giving the Wildcats back-to-back wins over the Gators and three in the last five matchups.
On Florida’s side, it’s a time for personal reflection. After a top-ten win over then-No. 7 Utah last week, the Gators were on top of the world. They moved up 25 spots to No. 12 in the AP Poll and the national media drool fest was non-stop through kick-off — and essentially until Kentucky sealed the win.
The letdown led to some mirror-looking for UF.
“I think coaching is a lot like teaching,” Florida head coach Billy Napier said after the loss. “When the students don’t perform as well as you want them to, I think as a coach and as a teacher, you’ve got to take a good look in the mirror. That’s exactly what I’m going to do, what our staff is going to do. …
“I think when we evaluate this game there is no question, we didn’t earn the right to win. We made too many mistakes. I think the film will say that.”
Part of the ridiculous hype train that left the station a week ago? Quarterback Anthony Richardson, who was recklessly crowned college football’s next superstar — his own coach said he was a mix between Cam Newton and Dak Prescott.
After putting unnecessary pressure on Richardson, Napier said he didn’t do enough to put his starting quarterback in position to succeed. He would finish with 143 yards and two picks on 14-35 passing to go with four rushing yards on six attempts.
“Anthony can do things better,” Napier said. “That starts with me. I think part of coaching is putting your players in position where they can have success. We made mistakes tonight. Anthony made mistakes. I made mistakes. One thing I know about Anthony, he’s a fighter. He’s going to show back up, and he’s going to work hard to improve.
“He has that level of investment and commitment to the players and the people in the organization.”
Considering the endless hype and pressure that followed, Richardson was unsurprisingly down on himself after the loss.
“I feel like I let everybody down,” Richardson said. “In this game and in life, adversity is going to come, and it’s going to go. Everybody expects a lot from me, and I expect a lot from myself, and I didn’t showcase anything that I’m capable of tonight. So, just have to grow from it.”
College football’s newest media darling admits he crumbled as the game progressed.
“I was pretty good to start the game off, but I missed a lot of different throws, and my confidence got shot,” Richardson added. “It affected my receivers poorly, missing them wide open, so I know their confidence probably went down as well. I didn’t help my O-line; I didn’t help my running backs.
“I failed the team, so mentally I shot myself down a little bit, but I tried to stay in it. Physically, I was fine. I just tried to play through it and just play the game. … We lost, and I feel like it’s completely on me.”
On the field, Richardson owned up to the loss. Over on the sidelines, Napier did the same.
“I think when you are in a leadership position and things are not going the way they should go or you want them to go you’ve got to take ownership of that,” Napier said. “That’s the coach’s job put the players in position to have success. We did that at times tonight and we can help them a little more, but we’ll evaluate the film.
“I think execution comes down to coaching. We didn’t execute very well at times tonight. We had a lot of opportunities there we missed early in particular but as the game went you got to call it for what it is. You can do better.”
In the end, he hopes his team’s letdown at home leads to growth as a program.
“Ultimately I know that the best struggle, and the most growth in life, comes from some of the most difficult struggles you go through,” Napier said.
As for the Wildcats, they’re doing just fine.
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