Cam's Column: Give Credit to the Gators...

After a rough start to the season, it would've been very easy for Florida to give up, but the Gators have shown fight in the last two games.

Oct 5, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) and wide receiver Tank Hawkins (10) celebrate a first down pass against the UCF Knights during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- It's about time for a positive Cam's Column, right?

After the week one loss to Miami, I wrote about how inexcusable it was for the Gators to be that unprepared. After the Week Two win against Samford, I wrote about how it would be a mistake for Billy Napier to go back to Graham Mertz over DJ Lagway. After the Week Three loss to Texas A&M, I bit the bullet and publically called for Napier to be fired. Finally, after the Week Four win over Mississippi State, I wrote that despite the win, the Gators' defense was still atrocious.

After four-straight negative articles, it's time to turn the page to something positive.

With a 1-2 start, inexcusable blowout losses to Miami and Texas A&M, overall lackluster play and a head coach with a scorching hot seat, it would have been very easy for the Gators to turn over and give up on the season.

It would have been easy for young, talented players on the roster to follow a college football-wide trend of opting-out with plans to transfer prior to burning a redshirt. I don't think many people would have blamed them.

Instead, the Gators buckled down, locked in and turned out back-to-back wins against Power-4 opponents.

Before we get into it, yes, I know it was Mississippi State, arguably the worst team in the SEC (shoutout to Vanderbilt for its win over Alabama! Never thought I'd ever write that).

And, yes, I know it was UCF, who's simply put out two-straight atrocious performances. And, yes, I know Florida's second-half defense against the Bulldogs was outrageously bad, and I know the Gators' second-half offense against the Knights was flat-out stagnant.

But we - well, at least I - can move past that, for now. Let's be positive today!

Napier and his team haven't let the two early blowout losses dictate the rest of the season. What was an uninspiring performance against Texas A&M was left in the past as Florida dominated Mississippi State on the road in its best offensive output of the season.

Bye week blues and facing an up-and-coming in-state opponent with a lot to prove could've meant the Gators turning back to its uncompetitive ways. Instead, it shut down the nation's No. 2 rushing offense, had a season-high five sacks and tied its season-high in tackles-for-loss in seven.

"I think you have a staff that has worked extremely hard trying to come up with solutions," Napier said of his defensive turnaround. "Really a lot of quality control, a ton of research in terms of -- because we felt like we anticipated being better, to be quite honest and we just didn't quite put it together in a couple of the games, so I think they did a good job, but more importantly, I think on the player end, there was a ton of ownership in terms of, hey, look, we can do better."

Offensively, the Gators did not allow a sack, avoided many crucial mistakes and, overall, played a good, clean game of football, even if the second-half was lackluster and, at some points, hard to watch due to the dullness.

But, to the Gators credit, there was consistency and a good, clean, four-quarter game, which has not happened often in the Napier era. Again, considering how the season's played out, it would have been easy for everyone in the organization, from players to coaches to analysts to custodians to student interns to support staff, etc., to cut their losses, give up on the year and move on.

Florida already saw that happen with one coach prior to Napier's arrival, and he's now currently sitting behind a desk at ESPN.

Instead, back-to-back wins give back some positive hope for the program in this season. And, to Napier's credit, he hasn't backed down, even if the results of his tenure have been simply unacceptable. On Saturday, in the midst of his tenure potentially coming to a close in the coming weeks, he showed fight, emotion (That penalty for ripping into the official was pretty cool to see after what's seemed like three seasons of an emotionless sideline presence) and an ultimate will to win.

After the game, he talked about what motivates him after being booed off the field in two previous home games but cheered off it this week.

Fair warning, it's a long quote, but I think leaving out portions of it would be a disservice.

"I think two things motivate me a lot. Ultimately my obligation, our obligation as a staff and organization to the players, you know? I want them to experience success. I want them to have the gratification that comes with playing football at a high level. I want to teach values wile we're doing that, and then I would say I've always felt strongly like they pay you to do a job, you know?" he said.

"You were brought here to do a job and you want to do the job for the people that believed in you and gave you a chance, and then, once you arrive, you meet people, you continue to meet more and more people that care about this place that had special experiences here that want the place to have success and want to be in contention. And I've met so many great people that have great intentions that are passionate about this place, and we want to do our job. That's what we were brought here to do, so both of those things motivate me. And I think ultimately allow me to keep perspective. And while we're doing it, we're going to try to do it the right way."

It would be ignorant of me to say Napier hasn't given up. The results are what they are, and I still think it'd be best for Florida to move on, but, to his credit, he hasn't quit on the program or his players. It's an honorable trait to have in the face of adversity.

On the player side of things, this era of college football completely puts power in their hands. NIL, the transfer portal and the four-game redshirt rule put the players on the throne. I'm not here to argue if its a good thing or bad thing. It's more complicated than that, and I'm more of a realist with "what is" rather than "what it should be."

We're also in a portion of the season with players opting out in favor of keeping a year of eligibility so they can transfer at the end of the season. It's happened at UNLV, Mississippi State and, recently, UCF. Florida, at least publicly, hasn't had any.

"It's a product of our current system I think ultimately," Napier said. "So I have a ton of respect for the players on our team. We got a good group and I would just say any time that we waste on stuff like that is a waste of time. It's a distraction and I think we got some guys that don't want to be a distraction. They're here to work and improve."

So, credit to everyone in the organization, from players to coaches to analysts to custodians to student interns to support staff, etc.

Now, back to the realistic side of things. The schedule only gets harder for Florida. Saturday's game against UCF should be considered a tune-up for what's to come, and now it's gut-check time and time to prove if that buy-in is for the long-run and not just for two games against struggling opponents.

Next week, the Gators travel to Tennessee, who will likely be out of the top-five after a late loss to unranked Arkansas. The Volunteers are vulnerable, but the Gators still have yet to find consistent success away from The Swamp with a 3-10 road record under Napier.

After that is Kentucky, who's won the last three in the series. Then, it's four-straight matchups against ranked opponents with No. 5 Georgia in Jacksonville, No. 2 Texas on the road (who will probably be No. 1 when the next AP Poll comes out), No. 13 LSU at home, and No. 12 Ole Miss at home.

The regular season finale against FSU, who fell to 1-5, will likely be the only game the Gators are the clear favorite in.

Granted, things could change. Maybe Florida shocks the world and finds a way to pull off some upsets. Tennessee is in a vulnerable spot after that loss to Arkansas. LSU and Ole Miss will have to play in The Swamp, and maybe the Gators can catch one of the playoff-contenders on an off day.

I still personally think that the Napier Era is coming to a close. I'm really not sure when it will happen, but as long as he keeps winning, he'll be the coach. One more loss may be the final straw, but for now, everyone should enjoy the back-to-back wins, and the team should certainly enjoy the fruit of its labor.