GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida coach Billy Napier started to jog off the football field, heard the boos and kicked it into another gear. He was trying to escape the negativity.
His ultimate exit could come as early as Sunday.
Jadan Baugh ran for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown, DJ Lagway threw for 280 yards to offset two interceptions, and the Gators held on to beat Mississippi State 23-21 on Saturday in a Southeastern Conference game that may have been Napier’s Florida finale.
“I think I’m built for it. I’m made for it,” said the 46-year-old Napier, a former Northwest Georgia prep standout at Murray County, where his father Bill was the head coach. “I chose the coaching profession. I was called to coach. The good comes with the bad. The bad comes with the good. The game’s about the players, and I’m proud of the way they played.”
And then, he added, choking back tears: “I love the game of football. I love the game.”