Florida’s 39-36 loss in overtime to Arkansas is the Gators’ latest low point under second-year coach Billy Napier.
Here are 3 things learned Saturday in the Swamp:
Napier needs to shake up his operation
The Gators’ illegal substitution during the final seconds of regulation was inexcusable and effectively iced kicker Trey Smack while tacking on 5 yards to his game-winning field-goal attempt.
Smack’s 44-yard miss sent the game to overtime, where Arkansas (3-6, 1-5) picked up its first SEC win and sent Napier to his second defeat against a team with a losing record — a fate never suffered by Dan Mullen, Jim McElwain, Will Muschamp and Ron Zook, all predecessors eventually fired.
If not for squandered timeouts, odds are Florida would have won and secured bowl eligibility. After all, Smack was 13 of 14 prior to the miss, including earlier makes of 47 and 34 yards.
But sideline chaos short-circuited the Gators, forced Smack to wait — alone with his thoughts — before attempting a longer kick. The sophomore never should have been put in such a position.
But following a completion from Graham Mertz to Arlis Boardingham, UF’s kicking team ran onto the field as the offense prepared to spike the ball.
“There’s no question there was confusion there,” Napier said. “That one I haven’t been around before.”
Confusion reigned when an unidentified player summoned the field-goal unit onto the field, having thought he heard a coach’s cue.
“That player, he’s doing the absolute best — he’s doing what he thought he was supposed to do,” Napier said. “We’ll get to the bottom of it.”
UF avoided a 10-second run-off ending regulation play because the first-down completion stopped the clock. Napier could have avoided the entire scenario if he’d not called two timeouts on a drive early in the fourth quarter and another one on Arkansas’ final drive.
Despite a head coach now with 74 games of experience, a staff of 10 assistants and with dozens of analysts and volunteers, the Gators continue to make inexplicable operational errors and game-management miscues.
Florida must defeat a ranked opponent during the final three games — at LSU, at Missouri and vs. Florida State — to avoid a five-game skid and first losing regular season since 2017.
An offseason of soul-searching, strategic shifts and staffing decisions surely awaits.
Trey Wilson is special
The Gators’ true freshman receiver continues to be a bright spot.
Wilson’s burst and instincts produced touchdown catches of 19 and 6 yards as Florida erased an early 14-0 deficit. He finished with 8 receptions and a career-high 90 yards, including 58 after the catch, giving him 19 grabs for 165 yards and 3 scores the past two games.
“He’s a really gifted player,” veteran receiver Ricky Pearsall marveled.
Wilson has quickly alleviated concerns about his durability.
He missed a game with a bruised collarbone suffered during the first quarter against Tennessee. Since his return, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Tampa native has shown he can handle a heavy workload in the rough-and-tumble SEC.
The Gators have no shot without him during three games against explosive offenses from LSU, Missouri and FSU.
“We definitely need to make plays,” Mertz said. “We know what’s ahead of us.”
Special teams were better — until they were bad yet again
The third phase of the game has been much maligned and missing in action. Against Arkansas, big plays on special teams helped Florida get back into the game but ultimately cost the Gators a win.
Trailing 14-0, UF downed a punt by Jeremy Crawshaw on the Arkansas 6 to stifle the Razorbacks’ momentum and ultimately create a short field after Pearsall returned a punt to the 33. Six plays later Wilson scored.
Following another Arkansas three-and-out, Pearsall returned a punt 40 yards to the Hogs’ 42. Trevor Etienne’s 32-yard run on first down set up Wilson’s second touchdown.
A comedy of errors then ensued, none bigger than a missed extra point that effectively cost Florida the game. After the Gators’ took their first lead, at 23-20, a botched snap and hold kept the Razorbacks within a field goal.
UF also lined up with 10 men during an Arkansas field-goal attempt, a recurring mistake dating to a season-opening loss Aug. 31 at Utah.
When asked about the special-teams struggles, Napier pointed to the Gators’ youth — a dozen true freshmen have played at least seven games. He also praised UF’s return teams, which also included 83 yards on 3 kickoff returns by Etienne, and coverage units.
“We had a few young people today that had opportunities,” Napier said. “That’s what I would say.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com