GAINESVILLE — Embattled coach Billy Napier said the reeling Gators are “really, really close” to playing winning football even as Florida sits 1-2 approaching their toughest test to date Saturday night at Miami.

A 5-interception night by DJ Lagway at LSU followed a sloppy 11-penalty showing against USF. The two sub-par performances raised questions across the board after Napier insisted throughout the offseason he finally had the talent, coaching staff and infrastructure to produce a College Football Playoff contender .

Instead, Florida finds itself in a deep hole with three consecutive top-10 opponents ahead, beginning with the No. 3 Hurricanes (3-0).

Napier remains undaunted.

“We’re close to being pretty dangerous,” he said Monday. “We just got to keep chipping away at it.”

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