Skip to main content
Hail Florida Hail
Fansided

Billy Napier up to the same sloppiness at JMU that doomed him at Florida

Nothing says "sloppiness" quite like a 15 yard penalty before a game even starts, and that's exactly what happened to Napier's Duke Dogs due to unsporstman'slike conduct.
ByAlexis Farinacci|
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on Reddit
Google Discover
Oct 11, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier walks off the field after the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
Oct 11, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier walks off the field after the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A penalty before kickoff? Yes, and it happened to none other than Billy Napier’s James Madison Dukes. Before JMU’s season had begun, and before the start of the Billy Napier era had even begun, before they could even take a snap, Napier’s new roster was displaying the same sloppiness that doomed him at Florida.

As Napier’s Dukes took the field for their opening weekend matchup at home against Liberty University, defensive lineman Kells Bush broke out of line and intentionally crossed over into a group of Liberty players, shoving LU safety Izaiah Guy. The flags were thrown by the officials, and that earned JMU a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct before their season even officially kicked off and a game clock started running. 

The penalty, one that was completely unnecessary, was assessed on the opening kickoff, pushing the Duke Dogs 15 yards backward, giving Liberty positive yards to start the game.

Despite the pregame penalty, JMU went on to defeat Liberty 20-13. Things got dicey in the fourth for JMU as Deshawn Purdie and the Liberty Eagles came back from a 20-6 deficit to make it a 20-13 game, but in their last shot to tie it, they were unable to do so, allowing James Madison to take the Blueridge Battle to open their year and the Napier era 1-0.

As a side note, that was the same Deshawn Purdie who was supposed to be the backup QB last year for the Gators after he committed to Florida from UNC Charlotte, but he reversed course and transfered to Wake Forest instead after he was apparently caught off guard there would be no QB battle and DJ Lagway would be the starter.

JMU finished its 2025 season with a 12-2 record, winning the Sun Belt Conference Championship and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff as the No. 12 seed. They were eliminated in the first round by a 51-34 loss to No. 5 Oregon.

Napier’s former team, on the other hand, finished their year with a horrific 4-8 record and were 2-6 in SEC play, not even reaching bowl eligibility. They open their 2026 campaign and the Jon Sumrall era Saturday night at 7:45 pm against FAU.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Home/Florida Gators Football