What Billy Napier said following Florida's win against South Carolina
The Florida Gators got a monster win on Saturday, as they defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks, 41-39, in Columbia.
It was a back-and-forth game, as Florida trailed 37-27 with 9:11 remaining in the game. However, Graham Mertz threw 2 touchdown passes, including one with 47 seconds remaining to help secure the win.
It was a huge win for Florida, and their coach, Billy Napier. The Gators had not won a game in the Napier era where they weren’t leading after the first quarter.
After the game, Napier was obviously ecstatic. He talked about how his team stayed together to get the win, the play of his quarterback and that the Gators are building something in Gainesville.
Billy Napier: “We’re building something. Better days are ahead.”
It’s year 2, folks.
This team is 5–2.
So many freshman are making an impact.
Billy has the #Gators moving in the right direction. ?? pic.twitter.com/LYgWfBwxGd
— Big Will (@BigWillLevenson) October 14, 2023
Billy Napier: "I can't tell you how proud I am of Graham Mertz. … The leadership he showed. And man, what a competitor. Are you kidding me? That was incredible. Kid's got grit, man.
"He's what UF football should be." #Gators
— OnlyGators.com: Florida Gators news (@onlygators) October 14, 2023
Fun fact: This is the first game in the Billy Napier era in which the Gators didn't win the first quarter on the road but went on to win the game.
Resilient effort.
— Jacob Rudner (@JacobRudner) October 14, 2023
Billy Napier didn’t understate the performance of Graham Mertz postgame:
“You can’t help but respect the competitive spirit of the kid,” he said. “He’s a product of his work.”@alligatorSports pic.twitter.com/ZEoFSiw6ru
— Luke Adragna (@lukeadrag) October 14, 2023
Billy Napier on #Gators QB Graham Mertz: 'We’re starting to play better around him. Ultimately, I think we’re capable. We can score.'
— Edgar Thompson (@osgators) October 14, 2023
"We've got a group of kids, we've got a staff, that goes about their business the right way … this group has done nothing more than get closer. We came here today to prove something. What a way to win a football game." — Gators HC Billy Napier
— Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) October 14, 2023
Billy Napier “It’s a fun group to coach … we’ve been though some battles.” #Gators
— KevinBrockwayGators (@KevinBrockwayG1) October 14, 2023
The win moves the Gators to 5-2 on the season as the team heads into a bye. A huge game is looming after the bye, as the Gators will take on the 2-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs will also be coming off a bye in that game after they beat Vanderbilt, 37-20. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be aired on CBS.
