Florida head coach Billy Napier had a simple, “cut and dry” explanation for the Gators’ special teams blunder while trying to kick a field goal at the end of the first half.
Florida simply lost track of an injured player.
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava threw an interception to Florida’s Sharif Denson with just over a minute until halftime, setting the Gators up at the UT 22-yard line. With Florida getting the ball back to start the third quarter and no touchdowns to that point, it felt like a massive opportunity for Florida to double-dip with points before and after halftime.
It didn’t work out that way.
Despite the drive starting off with a Tennessee penalty that pushed Florida to the UT 11, Florida ended up going backward eight yards on the drive. The Gators took a false start penalty on first down, an incompletion on first and long, a one-yard completion on second and long, and a 10-yard sack on third and long.
Florida used their final timeout prior to the 2nd and 15 play meaning they had no way to stop the clock after the sack on 3rd and 14 with 19 seconds to go. The Gators rushed on the field to line up for the kick but a substitution infraction caused the play to die as the clock ran off to halftime. Despite having a 1st and 10 on the UT 11 with 1:08 on the clock, Florida couldn’t land any points and instead had an embarrassing mishap.
“It was relative to an injury, to be cut and dry,” Napier said after the game. “It was a substitution error based on an injured player who stayed on the field. That’s exactly what it was.”
Florida looked like it had a field goal as time expired to give it a 6-0 lead at the half against Tennessee.
Instead, the Gators had 12 players on the field, ending the first half on a 10-second runoff.
Here’s Billy Napier’s reaction to the call. pic.twitter.com/a5HIQdq97e
— John Sartori (@JohnSartoriTV) October 13, 2024
More from RTI: Why Billy Napier Opted to Kick PAT Instead of Two-Point Conversion Against Tennessee
Florida didn’t get any points but did land the game’s first touchdown on their second drive of the second half. Tennessee responded with a monumental quick run at the end of the third quarter that saw the Vols record a touchdown, an interception, and a field goal within just three minutes of game action.
Tennessee would go on to defeat Florida 23-17 in overtime from Neyland Stadium.
Check out Billy Napier’s full press conference below:
