Napier: Florida needs to 'elevate' after deflating loss to USF

Florida head coach Billy Napier is attempting to rally his team following a disappointing 18-16 loss to USF at home.

"Everything that's been built here didn't all of a sudden just disappear," Napier said Wednesday, according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. He added, "There has been a ton of investment put into our people, into our organization, and those things still exist. When adversity hits, you need to elevate."

The Gators entered their matchup against the Bulls as significant favorites. Yet it was USF that walked out of The Swamp with a 2-0 record Saturday after kicker Nico Gramatica booted a 20-yard field goal in the final moments of the upset. Florida racked up 11 penalties for a total of 103 yards.

Napier took the brunt of criticism following the shocking loss.

"It's not good enough," Napier said postgame, per ESPN's Mark Schlabach. "We've got work to do. You guys know it. I know it. Anybody that watched it knows it. We got to take ownership of it, and we got to go back to work. That's it."

The defeat dropped Napier's overall record as Florida's coach to 20-20. The Gators have begun each of their past four seasons with a 1-1 mark.

A tough stretch of games looms for Napier and Co. in the coming weeks. The Gators begin SEC play on the road against LSU on Saturday. They visit No. 5 Miami the following week and host No. 7 Texas on Oct. 4 after a bye week.

Napier would be owed a $20.4 million buyout if Florida dismissed him, per Schlabach. The school would be required to pay 50% of his remaining salary within 30 days of his termination.

The coach hopes the loss to USF teaches his team a valuable lesson.

"The important thing here is that we use what we experienced Saturday," Napier said Wednesday, per team reporter Scott Carter. "Can we take that and use it as a catalyst to make the team better. What I do sense is a loyalty. They want to do their best for each other."