FINAL: Gators Drop a Doozy, Lose 41-17 to Rival Miami: 'It's Embarrassing'

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier needed a good showing to start the season. Instead his Gators team was outclassed at home in virtually every aspect by rival Miami.

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier before his team took the field against the Miami Hurricanes / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators’ 33-home-opener win streak has come to an end. 

In what was the worst season-opening loss in 118 years of Florida football, the Gators dropped 41-17 doozy to the No. 19 Miami Hurricanes, which has now won six of its last eight matchups in the series dating back to 2000.

BOX SCORE: Miami 41, Florida 17

The Hurricanes simply dominated by out-gaining the Gators in total yardage 529-261. Quarterback Cam Ward diced up the Florida secondary with 385 passing yards and three touchdowns while completing 74% of his passes. 

“Yeah, I mean, it's embarrassing, to be quite honest with you,” said UF head coach Billy Napier. “That's how I feel. That's how our kids feel. We've got a decision to make. I think we have -- that's what I just told them. There's no excuses. Keep our mouths shut, show up and work. We have to do better. Keep it simple. That's how I feel. I do think that our players will show up and they will respond.”

The dominance started immediately. 

Miami began the scoring with an 11-play, 84-yard drive led by Ward, who accounted for 49 yards on three rushing attempts. A third down stop by Florida deep in their own territory was negated by a Justus Boone penalty, and Ward hit Cam McCormick for a 9-yard score two plays later. 

“I take full accountability, full responsibility for that,” Boone said. “We were just talking about it in the team room. I was just telling them about how I take -- the first mistake. I feel like I was the one to make the first mistake. I was the one to put us on a bad path by getting that roughing the passer, just an undisciplined play, undisciplined call, and that's something I've got to work on for myself, and that's my take from it.”

Florida’s defense flipped momentum on the Hurricanes’ next drive. A punt by Jeremy Crawshaw downed Miami at its own three-yard line, and linebacker Shemar James recorded his first-career interception four-plays later to put the Gators on the 34-yard line. 

A 7-yard scramble by Mertz was all the success Florida could find on the drive, and the Gators had to settle for a 41-yard field goal by Trey Smack near the end of the first quarter. 

Ward and the Hurricanes went to work on its ensuing drive with a 17-yard rush from Damien Martinez and 29 total yards of receiving from Xavier Restrepo. The Gators held on with their backs against the wall, though, courtesy of a Pup Howard tackle in space. 

Andres Borregales knocked through a 23-yard field goal to extend Miami’s lead to 10-7, and it didn’t get much better for Florida in the second quarter. 

An incomplete pass combined with a holding penalty on fourth-and-five ended what was a five-play, 33-yard drive, and, once again, Ward and the Hurricanes’ offense went to work. 

Ward hit Isaiah Horton for a 30-yard pass two plays after a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty on Florida. A 10-yard touchdown rush by Mark Fletcher Jr. extended the Hurricanes’ lead to 17-3. 

The Gators’ did find brief momentum with a 71-yard touchdown run by Montrell Johnson Jr., but as with almost the entire first half, Miami was quick to find momentum. With 45 seconds left in the half, Ward hit Restrepo against a broken Gators’ coverage for a 24-yard touchdown, and Fletcher Jr. added a one-yard touchdown to open the second half.

"Football is a game of momentum. It won't always go our way when we got the momentum and it can go back to them,” said linebacker Shemar James. “That kind of just plays back to just keep your head up. The game switched multiple times but it was all up to us to keep our head up and push."

The Gators didn’t score again until 7:14 left in the game on a one-yard touchdown run by Treyaun Webb on a nine-play, 58-yard drive led by true freshman backup quarterback DJ Lagway. 

Mertz was taken out of the game due to injury with 35 seconds left in the third quarter. He finished with 91 yards on 11-of-21 passing and no touchdowns. It was his worst statistical performance as a Gator. 

Miami added one more field goal late in the fourth quarter, and Lagway was intercepted on his final drive. 

Florida (0-1) hosts Samford next week with kickoff at 7 p.m.

“I think ultimately we've got to take a good look in the mirror, I think as coaches and players, what can we do better to get a better outcome,” Napier said.