Lagway, Napier explain Florida’s mentality after win over Texas

There’s just something about this Florida Gators team under head coach Billy Napier. At times, it appears to be out of place in the SEC. At other times, it can take on the No. 9-ranked Texas Longhorns and come away with one of the best victories of the college football weekend.

It’s really a “Jekyll and Hyde” act, and it has to be exhausting for fans in Gainesville. One week, you’re losing at home to South Florida of the American Athletic Conference. A few weeks later, you’re getting blown out on the road against Miami. Then, it’s a 29-21 win over a Texas program that was supposed to be a College Football playoff contender.

There’s got to be some whiplash involved for the Gators, but Napier explained after the win over Texas that this is a group of players that plays well with its backs against the wall.

“It’s more of a big-picture program, organizational philosophy in terms of what we want our program to be about, the investment in people,” Napier said, according to Kevin Brockway of The Gainesville Sun. “We teach values. We prioritize education. We run a tight ship … That requires a certain character from that person to sign up for that.”

Florida Gators won’t give up on this season despite poor record 

Even after the win, this is a Florida team that checks in at just 2-3, and there’s a realistic chance the Gators will get blown out on Oct. 11 at No. 5 Texas A&M. There’s could be a chance the Gators don’t win another game this season.

On the flip side, there’s a world in which the win over Texas reinvigorates what is a talented roster. Last season, Napier was able to pull his team back from the brink to finish the season strong. Florida could technically still make some noise with games against Texas A&M, No. 4 Ole Miss, No. 12 Tennessee and No. 25 Florida State.

If Florida wins out, that would put the Gators at 9-3 with several ranked wins. Perhaps a red-hot Gators team, in that instance, could make a case for the CFP.

Either way, we know the Gators aren’t going to give up. For all his faults, Napier does seem to have a way of running a chippy program, and his players clearly believe.

“We’re fighting for all of each other,” quarterback DJ Lagway said. “It’s us against the world; that’s our mentality. That’s kind of how we approach every single day and keep our heads down and continue to work.”