Backup quarterback Marcel Reed scored three touchdowns in his first college start, leading Texas A&M to a 33-20 win over Florida on Saturday. This game might have been coach Billy Napier’s last with the Gators.
Reed, filling in for injured starter Conner Weigman, threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score. Texas A&M (2-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) won a road game for the first time in almost three years, ending a 10-game losing streak away from home.
“He was lights out,” first-year A&M coach Mike Elko said. “He was calm. He was confident. He made throws.”
This win will be a significant achievement for Elko and could mark the end of Napier’s time with the Gators (1-2, 0-1).
Florida struggled on both offense and defense, showing they were outmatched for the second time this season in their home stadium. The previous loss to Miami had already increased the pressure on Napier. This latest defeat might lead to his dismissal.
“Ultimately, at some point, it becomes about production,” Napier said.
Napier’s record at Florida dropped to 12-16, including 12 losses in his last 15 games against major conference teams. This loss was his seventh straight in those games, including four at home.
Napier now has 10 losses at Florida Field, more than Steve Spurrier (68-5) and Urban Meyer (35-5) had in their successful tenures at Gainesville.
If Florida decides to fire Napier, they would owe him about $27 million. His 28-game stint would be the shortest in 100 years for the program; James Alward Van Fleet, who coached 19 games from 1923-24, went 12-3-4 before leaving for military service and eventually becoming an Army general.
The low point for Napier might have been at halftime Saturday. As the teams were leaving the field, Napier appeared on the big screens for a pre-recorded public service announcement about preventing drinking and driving. He was loudly booed during it and again as he entered the locker room after a TV interview.
