3 Florida Gators to blame for season-opening loss to Utah

Florida Gators to blame: Special teams coach? You there?

There is plenty of blame to go around in Gainesville, but the majority of it belongs to the special teams coach. We don't mean to pile on, surely he's had a tough enough day already. Anyway, what's his name?

I hate to break it to Florida fans who may be unaware, but the Gators do not have a special teams coach. Whether it's for funding reasons or because they have enough confidence in their coaching staff to cover the necessary ground, UF looks downright silly on Friday for failing to employ an essential assistant.

Never underestimate special teams, as it can make or break just about any game in college football, especially those between Power 5 teams. Utah failed to make mistakes in that department, and capitalized on Florida's issues, of which there were many. Shield your eyes, Gators fans.

Yikes! Basically, this is a second bullet point aimed at Napier, as he is ultimately in charge of hiring his coaching staff.

It should be noted that special teams is surely covered in weekly practices. Florida isn't out here ignoring one of the basic phases of the game. However, failing to empower an experienced special teams mind -- as is typically the case at major college football programs -- is coming back to haunt the Gators.