Gramatica’s kick lifts South Florida to an 18-16 upset at No. 13 Florida and heats Napier’s seat

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – South Florida got plenty of help in upsetting a ranked team for the second straight week.

Florida committed 11 penalties for 103 yards, including two major infractions on the final drive, and questionably managed the clock as the Bulls stunned the Gators 18-16 in the Swamp on Saturday.

Nico Gramatica hit a 20-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Bulls (2-0) to their first victory over Florida (1-1) in five tries. This one put Gators coach Billy Napier back on the proverbial hot seat.

“There’s no excuse here,” Napier said. “I’m not up here to make excuses.”

Napier called two pass plays in the waning minutes when his offense needed to milk the clock and was in charge of a team that melted down at every turn in crunch time. The Gators gave up a 66-yard TD pass mostly because defenders were staring at the sideline. Defensive lineman Brendan Bett was flagged and ejected on the final drive for spitting at an opponent, one play after Dijon Johnson was called for pass interference.

Throw in Napier’s offense finishing with 355 yards and settling for three field goals early, and it’s no surprise Florida’s faithful were calling for his job afterward.

“We created it. We deserve it,” Napier said. “If you play football like that, you’re going to be criticized. It comes with the territory, right? Only thing you can do is go get it fixed, and that’s what we’ll start working on (Sunday).”

Gramatica missed a 58-yarder with 2:52 remaining but got a chance to redeem himself after Florida failed to pick up a first down and took roughly 20 seconds off the clock. The Bulls responded with an 87-yard drive that was aided by the two penalties.

Napier dropped to 20-20, including 14-7 at home. He is 1-1 for the fourth consecutive season.

“These guys I’ve bled with, cried with,” Florida cornerback Devin Moore said. “There have been a lot of long nights, so I’m very motivated — me and other people on the team. Everyone can hold everyone accountable. … I’m ready to get back to work, clean this film up, and just improve.”

South Florida, meanwhile, took another huge step forward in coach Alex Golesh’s third season.

“A bunch of guys that bought into a vision when it wasn’t super cool,” Golesh said.

Poll implications

The Bulls will break into the AP Top 25. They upset then-No. 25 Boise State last week. The Gators surely will drop.

The takeaway

South Florida became only the third unranked team since 2000 to start 2-0 by beating two ranked teams, joining 2012 Oregon State and 2008 East Carolina.

Florida has bigger issues than quarterback DJ Lagway’s rust. Their offensive line allowed too much pressure and failed to create enough holes against USF.

Up next

South Florida: Plays at No. 5 Miami next Saturday, the Bulls’ third consecutive game against a ranked team.

Florida: Plays at No. 3 LSU next Saturday. The Gators last won in Baton Rouge in 2016.

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