After blowout loss to Texas A&M, Billy Napier's time at Florida is running out - ESPN

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tom Petty's «Runnin' Down a Dream» played in the background Saturday night at a long since emptied-out and rain-soaked Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

But as embattled Florida coach Billy Napier walked toward the locker room following yet another listless double-digit loss at home, this one a 33-20 beating by a Texas A&M team playing a backup freshman quarterback, even Petty couldn't drown out the boos. Napier briefly shook hands with interim university president Kent Fuchs, who was waiting under the goal post, and then Napier disappeared underneath the stands as frustrated fans yelled down what an increasing number of Florida fans, some with high financial stakes in the program, are now saying out loud.

«Fire him!» one woman screamed amid the boos.

In his press conference after the game, Napier took responsibility for how poorly his team (1-2) has played this season and said there are no excuses.

«I don't blame them ...» Napier said of the fans booing. «I mean, ultimately when you play a certain way in this arena, you're going to be criticized. This is one of those places where there's history and tradition and expectations. There's been a lot of really good football teams that played in that stadium in the past. When you play ugly ball and maybe it doesn't look quite like we all want it to, then, hey, it comes with the territory.

»So I probably would've done the same thing, truth be known."

The other sad truth for Napier is that his already tenuous Florida coaching career is now hanging by a thread. You could see it on his face and the faces of his players and even the face athletic director Scott Stricklin as he sat quietly in the back of the room during Napier's press conference.

Napier has worked