Tennessee football knocked off Florida 23-17 in overtime on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium. The Gators scored a game tying touchdown in the final minute of regulation but the Vols prevailed in overtime thanks to a missed field goal and a Dylan Sampson go-ahead score.
Following the game, Florida coach Billy Napier discussed not going for two to win the game, the Gators strong defensive performance and much more. Here’s everything Napier said.
More From RTI: WATCH Dylan Sampson Walk It Off In Tennessee’s Win Over Florida
Opening statement
“I have a ton of respect for the young men in that locker room and the way they competed in the game. They were prepared, in the right frame of mind, attacked it and played extremely hard. They played with passion in all three parts of our team. The tell of the tape is the missed opportunities in the first half on offense. We had many opportunities to score points and we left a ton of points out there in a couple of short-yardage situations and obviously, with the sneak, we fumbled it at the one-yard line. Defensively, I have to say that our guys kept us in the game. I thought we had a great plan. I thought we played really good and kept the routes in front of us and played good on the perimeter. I thought we did a nice job creating some negative plays. Obviously, we did a good job on conversion downs and being able to effect the quarterback. What a game. We had a few injuries there and Graham (Mertz) getting banged up was a big part of the game. DJ (Lagway) rose to the occasion and got us back in it and tied it up. I think we left a lot of opportunities on the field in the first half in terms of points. It was one of those games where the margin was really small. Our staff had the team ready to play, and we had a good plan. I think our kids fought their tails off. I have a ton of respect for that. We made some plays in the kicking game. We had the miscue right before half. We had a substitution issue there, but we would not be in the game without our special teams performance. Our punt returns were critical. I thought we controlled the field position throughout.”
On what went into the decision to kick an extra point instead of going for two at the end of the fourth quarter
“We had a play that we felt good about. They burned their timeout and we would have had to take it from the three there. We played pretty good on both sides of our team that we felt like we could go play overtime. Let’s go give our guys a chance to go play some more plays. Defensively, we kept ourselves in it. We were not quite ready to do that at that point in time.”
On what went into the substitution mishap at the end of the first half on the field goal attempt
“It was relative to an injury, to be cut and dry. It was a substitution error based on an injured player who stayed on the field. That’s exactly what it was.”
On the status of Graham Mertz and Montrell Johnson Jr
“I think it’s tough. Graham played phenomenally at the beginning, in my opinion. He played lights out. We were prepared well and he came to play. He does have an injury, a lower-body injury. We’ll do some updates on that as we get to next week. It was significant enough that he couldn’t complete the game. I think that Montrell Johnson Jr. was in that category as well where he wasn’t able to return. R.J. Moten had an injury as well.”
On if he thinks this team is still taking the steps forward to get to the level they want
“I would think about the defensive performance and start moving the ball throughout. We had opportunities in the red area, and I think we were 3-for-6 in terms of scoring opportunities. Ultimately, that was the tale of the tape. We had a fumble on the one-yard line, on fourth-and-1 we get stopped and had to kick a field goal. It was a great play by their corner, running over the top. It was a great tackle. Then, we missed a field goal in overtime.”
On what stuck out defensively
“We played with good gap integrity on the line of scrimmage. On the edges, we tackled well. You mix in the pressure and it creates negative plays and makes long-yard situations. We were pretty good on conversion downs throughout the day. Defensively, we keep ourselves in the game. We had a chance to really take control of the game in the first half but we missed that opportunity.”
On how he felt about Jadan Baugh stepping up
“Those guys are all capable players. Jadan has already done some things this year and has a ton of confidence in both players. They practice their work, they are smart, tough and they are productive.”
On how he would describe the mood of the players
“I think it’s the hardest part about it. They played their tails off and I had a front row seat to it. There’s no guarantees in this game. You have to put yourself out there. There’s no guaranteed reward. It takes courage to do that. I think ultimately there’s an opportunity here for our team and I just believe there’s something good on the other side. It’s a challenge. Ultimately, we’re all going to be tested and we’re all going to be challenged in this game. It’s going to be that way. It’s competitive. If you play this game, you’re always going to be challenged. There’s always going to be scenarios where you don’t get the results you want and you have the discipline to reset and be good again. When you get distracted and you compromise your character, I don’t think we have that issue. We have a bunch of guys that care about each other, that play their tails off, that prepare the right way and compete. We just came up a handful of plays short. That’s where, as a coach, it’s a punch to your gut. You want to do everything to help your players.”
On competitive elements of practices and strategies
“We will continue to operate; it’s working for the team. I think our kids have bought into it and it’s filtering in the way that they play.”
On the culture of the team despite injuries and adversity
“We have a group and a great combination of players with veteran leadership, and we have some young guys with the right mindset and the right makeup that have the opportunity to contribute. There’s a lot of guys and so many people that contribute to what you watched out there tonight. A bunch of them didn’t get a chance to make the trip, but they worked their tail off all throughout the week to help the team prepare. It’s one of the best things about this group and obviously this will be a challenge here, but we’ll have an opportunity to respond and play football next week.”
On DJ Douglas’ maturity throughout his time at UF
“One of the things about DJ that I respect is that as a competitor he has this unique ability to raise his level of play at critical moments. Not only did he pick the right route progression, but he had the move and struck in a critical moment. And look, I thought he even did some of his more impressive stuff in the first half when he was playing. He did a lot of really great things, but for a rookie to go and play on the road in that environment and step up in a big time and big moment, he’s got that in his DNA so there’s a bright future ahead for him.”
On confidence in DJ Lagway’s growth to continue throughout the season
“Well, he started on gaining earlier in the year and, obviously, he’s had an opportunity to contribute each week so he’ll be more prepared, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. I have absolute confidence in his ability.”
On running a receiver sweep on fourth-and-inches
“We got them all blocked. I think the guy that had Trey (Eugene Wilson III) man-to-man at the top of the play made a heck of a play when he blocked the perimeter really well. DJ (Douglas) made a good decision, and it was an outstanding play by the corner that had Trey manned to show up on the other side, and it was a good physical tackle and really good play by their defenders.”
