The Monday morning meltdown (Sec mean tweets edition)
GEORGE SOMERVILLE – THE TOUCHDOWN SEC CORRESPONDENT
As we know, in SEC football, It Just Means More! And that goes for both the glory and the failure!
The good and the bad in college football are exaggerated to the max on Sundays and Mondays after each week’s slate of games. In SEC football, no one is safe from the fallout of defeat or the over-celebration of victory.
As I write this (on Sunday night), Florida head coach Billy Napier is still in a job. However, it is possible, even probable, that he will not be by the time you read this on Monday. You will see from the reaction of the Florida fans that the criticism has reached a fever pitch following the Gators’ capitulation to the Aggies on Saturday.
I thought the whole segment would be about the Gators, but wait, no—Mississippi State managed to lose to Toledo—yes, Toledo—on Saturday. So, in a late entry to Mean Tweets, the Bulldogs secured a place. Who would want to be a head coach???
So, onto the madness of the meltdown. Read on MacDuff…..
Fire Billy Napier!
Now, let’s be clear: I am no advocate for a firing in Gainesville. However, the headline refers to the words used in a Twitter/X search to gauge the atmosphere amongst Gator fans.
The outcome of this search wasn’t pretty—in fact, it was darned ugly. I stopped scrolling after page six, and there were more. To say that Gator fans are furious is a gross understatement.
It’s already well-documented that Florida has the toughest schedule in college football this season, but the difficulty of the schedule is mostly on the back end. The early season games were meant to be winnable for Napier, giving some hope that a winning season and bowl eligibility could be achieved. Heavy defeats to Miami and Texas A&M have put this target in real jeopardy and placed Napier in an almost untenable position in Gainesville.
As I write, it is rumoured that the Florida administration and Board of Trustees met on Sunday morning. The outcome of this meeting is not known at this stage. There has been media speculation, citing good sources, that Gator boosters have already raised the $26m needed to buy out the remainder of Napier’s contract.
It would seem then that the writing is on the wall for Napier. I am certain there is more to come this week on the situation. Watch this space!
Holy Toledo!
You would think that new Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby would be spared some criticism so early in his Mississippi State career. A honeymoon period for the situation he inherited from Zach Arnett? Think again, my friends, think again.
The Bulldogs were 1-1 going into this game in Starkville. A convincing win against Eastern Kentucky started the season off well for Lebby, the new head coach.
A one-score loss to Arizona State on the road did not have the panic button pressed. But a heavy, yes, heavy defeat to Toledo… yes, Toledo has had Bulldog fans reaching for the panic buzzer.
To lose 41-17 at home to a team in the MAC (sorry MAC fans…) seemed improbable and, I hate to say, impossible. Which means that the fury of the Bulldogs fans – which has been building over a year now – has been unleashed on Lebby and his staff. Calls for his head after only three games seem hasty at best. But, more of the same will have the Bulldogs administration scratching their heads as to exactly who they have at the helm.
Next up for State? Well, it’s the Florida Gators. The football gods are having a good old laugh just now……
GEORGE SOMERVILLE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER
GEORGE IS A LONG STANDING FANATIC OF LIFE AND FOOTBALL IN THE DEEP SOUTH AND WRITES HIS WEEKLY COLUMN CALLED “IT’S ONLY SEC” FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. HE IS ALSO CO-HOST AND ONE THIRD OF THE COLLEGE CHAPS PODCAST, THE UK’S FIRST PODCAST DEDICATED TO THE COLLEGE GAME.