Billy Napier had to be restrained from going after the referees in Saturday’s game at Tennessee.
Tennessee had the ball at the Florida 1-yard line late in the third quarter while leading the Gators 24-21. The Vols ran the ball on 2nd-and-goal for what appeared to be a touchdown, but Jabari Small was marked down inside the one.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel was expecting the officials to review the play, but they didn’t. So just as the play clock for third-and-goal was about to hit zero, Heupel called for a timeout.
Napier was upset about all the time the officials were taking on the matter and kept telling them to get the game restarted. Instead, the officials took their time reviewing the 2nd-down play.
The officials let the second down call stand, but they flagged the Gators coach for unsportsmanlike conduct. He had to be restrained by his assistants.
Napier’s penalty moved the ball to the 1-inch line and gave Tennessee an automatic first down. They scored on the next play and took a 31-21 lead.
Napier is in his first season as Florida’s head coach. The Gators entered Saturday with a 2-1 record.
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