It’s 17-41, and the Gators took a major hit. Yeah! Billy Napier’s Florida Gators lost to the Miami Hurricanes right in their own swamp.

This was a crucial game for both Napier and Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal, as both have led their teams to mediocre seasons in recent couple of years. Now 2024 was a big litmus test of their coaching skills, and Napier clearly didn’t pass.

Now, this defeat marks the Florida Gators‘ 6th consecutive loss, dating back to last season. Even worse, they are now 0-3 against their Atlantic Coast Conference rivals. And the embarrassment doesn’t stop there! To top it all off, Billy Napier is now the first Gators head coach since 1989 to lose a home opener.

Sure, the Gators’ poor gameplay was a major factor in their loss, but credit is also due to Miami’s quarterback Cam Ward. Ward threw for 385 passing yards and made three touchdowns, leading his team right from the start. Meanwhile, the Gators’ starting QB, Graham Mertz, was injured, and DJ Lagway had to step in. Their offense was a major disappointment, with the only bright spot being RB Montrell Johnson’s 71-yard touchdown run. Meanwhile, Cam Ward & Co. looked unstoppable.

Now, things aren’t going to get any easier for Florida. They’ve got a brutal second-half schedule coming up, with bigger SEC names like Texas and Georgia. But Napier’s team is already struggling to get through the first half, making them a bit of an internet ‘joke.’

Billy Napier faces online backlash

In this rough loss, Florida Gators fans are letting loose with some harsh trolling. They’re in no mood to defend their head coach, Billy Napier, who seems stuck in a cycle of poor performance. One fan pointed out that he’s the only coach in over three decades to lose a home game, saying, “Another feather in the cap of the worst coach in the history of Florida Gators football.” Another chimed in, “Too bad he didn’t play New Mexico State, Northern Colorado, and Tennessee-Martin like the Gators’ other coaches did. Florida’s opening game record is an absolute joke.”

Whether facing tough opponents or not, Napier hasn’t delivered good games for the Gators in a while. The last two seasons were a mediocre 6-7 and 5-7, barely making it to the playoffs. Their recent game against Cam Ward’s team suggests an even worse record might be on the line for them. Commenting on the lackluster performance, a fan wrote, “Florida just had to burn a timeout off a dead ball in front of their home fans. This team is so poorly coached it’s a joke.”

Well, Napier remained optimistic since last season, even claiming they had a “stabilized roster” at the SEC media days. But after the recent embarrassing game, another fan noted, “Eight months of nonstop positivity expressed by the Florida program has evaporated over the previous 3 hours. An embarrassing showing for the #Gators.” Some fans are almost ready to move on, with one saying, “I owe my followers an apology. I’m not all the way out the door to fire Billy but I’m 65% there now.  No energy. No adjustments. No progress. Offense went backwards.  This ain’t Florida ball. I was wrong.” It seems like many fans are losing faith in their team—or at least in their coach. Is it time for Napier to call it quits?