Billy Napier admits to ‘coachspeak’ reaction to Florida being ranked, moving on from Utah
By Keith Farner
Published:
Billy Napier is already dealing with rising expectations as Florida had the biggest upset of last week with a surprising victory over No. 7 Utah.
Florida went from being unranked to No. 12 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.
“I think obviously people watch us play and develop an opinion about your team, which is a positive. But in reality, it means nothing,” Napier said on the SEC coaches media teleconference. “It means as much going into Week 2 as it does in Week 1. … We watch the film and can see we have room for improvement. … I’m hopeful we can learn from our experience and continue to get better. … It’s not where you start, but where you finish. I know that’s coachspeak, but that’s where it is.”
This week Florida gets set for Kentucky, and the Wildcats are trying to bounce back from a sub-par performance against Miami-Ohio. Napier said the Gators have to turn the page immediately.
“I don’t know that you’ve got time to decompress. You try to enjoy some time with your family that evening and the next morning, then you get back to work,” Napier said. “… We try to erase the board and move on and it’s a new set of variables, new matchups, new concepts on both sides. … You don’t have time to decompress. You learn what you can. That’s the important part.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
