GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida coach Billy Napier called his team’s 41-17 loss to Miami on Saturday “embarrassing.” He offered no apology but promised to fix the problems.

Napier was already under scrutiny entering his third season, having gone 11-14 in his first two seasons and failing to reach a bowl game last year. That scrutiny will surely increase after a performance that saw the Gators outplayed and outplayed by coaches.

“It’s embarrassing, to be honest with you,” Napier said. “That’s how I feel. That’s how our kids feel. There’s no excuses. Just shut up, show up and work. We’ve got to do better. I think our players will show up and they’ll respond.”

Miami dominated in every way, racking up 529 yards of offense and physically holding the Gators in check. Meanwhile, Florida’s offense struggled for most of the day, playing the fourth quarter without starting quarterback Graham Mertz, who was knocked out of the game with a concussion.

Napier said Mertz is in concussion protocol and would have his status updated next week. Freshman DJ Lagway, the No. 8 player in the ESPN 300 in the class of 2024, came in and showed promise, with a touchdown drive, but it was too late.

“I had a strong feeling we would do better,” Napier said. “But I’m not here to make excuses. We’ve got to fix it. We’ve got another chance next week and we’ve got to play better and coach better.”

Fans began to leave the Swamp in the third quarter. Toward the end of the fourth quarter, as the stadium emptied, a fan could be heard on the concourse chanting, “Fire Billy!” Napier said he had to make sure his team didn’t get caught up in the negativity that comes with a loss to an in-state rival.

Amid all the negativity, there are still questions about whether Napier will remain as head coach.

“We’re going to have to deal with it,” Napier said. “We’ve got to be men and we’ve got to show some maturity. At the end of the day, if you care about the team, you’re going to show up and work hard at your job. I think this group will do that. But we can’t control that. It’s part of the job and it’s part of their responsibility to the team.”

Napier had been adamant during the offseason that this was the best team he’d had since arriving in 2022, and he praised Mertz’s return. But the Gators were overwhelmed for most of the day. Florida was 1-of-9 on third down. Aside from a 75-yard touchdown run by Montrell Johnson Jr., Florida had 64 yards rushing on 27 carries. Mertz was 11-of-20 for 91 yards with an interception.

Despite the performance, Napier said: “We will prove over time that we can play better.”

“I still have confidence in our team,” he said. “I think we’ve made progress. Today is disappointing, not only for me, but for the whole team and the organization and for our fans and for all the people who care about this place. Like I said before, I have confidence in the young men we have in our team. I think we have better football in us. But we have to prove it.”