A season ago, the Florida Gators and the Utah Utes played in Gainesville to open the season in what was one of the better games of the entire 2022 season in terms of excitement and dramatic finish. The Gators won on a last-second interception by LB Amari Burney of Utes QB Cam Rising in the end zone to seal the win for the Gators 29-26.
Florida vs. Utah
In 2023, the Gators will be traveling to Utah on Thursday to begin year two of head coach Billy Napier’s tenure. Utah is ranked 14th in the nation and should be one of the top contenders in the PAC-12, so this is quite the opponent to begin the season with if you’re the Gators.
All that said, in the primetime slot on ESPN on Thursday at 8 PM EST, the entire country will get the chance to watch the 2023 Florida Gators, who are looking to rebound from a 6-7 finish in 2022.
Utah QB Cam Rising and TE Brant Kuithe: Will they play or not?
Utah Utes QB Cam Rising (7) – David Becker/Getty Images
Utah QB Cam Rising tore his ACL in the Rose Bowl last season and his status for Thursday’s game is still up in the air. Napier said in his press conference ahead of the Utah matchup last Saturday that the Gators have prepared for not just Rising, but all of the Utes QBs.
“There’s really some unique players at quarterback that they have on the roster that cause you to really evaluate all the scenarios that can happen,” Napier said.
If Rising is unable to play, that would be big for the Gators. Rising, despite his interception, played well against Florida a year ago, throwing for 216 yards and a touchdown whilst also adding 91 rushing yards.
Behind Rising would be QB Brandon Rose, but he will not be able to play in the season opener due to injury. Behind Rose is junior Bryson Barnes and redshirt freshman Nate Johnson, the latter of which being an exceptional athlete.
Utah’s QB situation will likely not be solved until the day of or on the day of kickoff Thursday.
Utah Utes TE Brant Kuithe (80) – Steve C. Wilson/Utah Athletics
Another player who played well against Florida a season ago and may not play on Thursday is TE Brant Kuithe. Kuithe caught nine passes for 105 yards and a touchdown against the Gators in 2022 but tore his ACL against Arizona State last September.
If either Kuithe or Rising cannot play, the Gators will have much less to deal with on defense.
Keys to Victory for Florida
Controlling Time of Possession
The Gators have a potentially formidable running game (if the offensive line stays healthy) and a ferocious front seven on defense. I believe that both of those units need to set the tone against Utah for the Gators to win.
Florida ran for 283 yards and four touchdowns against Utah a season ago. However, 106 yards and three of those touchdowns came from now Indianapolis Colts rookie QB Anthony Richardson.
In 2023, the Gators will look to Wisconsin transfer QB Graham Mertz to lead the charge in front of a hostile crowd. Luckily for the Gators, Mertz is experienced, with 33 starts under his belt, so playing in a hostile environment is nothing new.
Florida Gators RB Monteell Johnson (2) – Scott G Winterton/Deseret News
The Gators have one of the best running back duos in college football, returning in Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne, who combined for 139 yards and a touchdown against Utah last year. The best way to silence a hostile crowd is to control time of possession, something the Gators did not do well in 2022. According to NCAA.com, the Gators ranked 82nd in time of possession in 2022, averaging just 29 minutes a game.
The Gators have the running game to keep the ball away from Utah and have the front seven on defense to give it back to them; it’s just a matter of making plays, as coaches say.
Can the Florida WRs create explosive plays?
Florida Gators WR Ricky Pearsall (1) – David Bowie/Gatorcountry
Last season, outside of WR Ricky Pearsall, the Gators lacked explosiveness at receiver, which often limited their ability to utilize different pass packages in their offense. To solve that, Florida brought in three freshmen receivers, Eugene Wilson, Andy Jean, and Aiden Mizell. The Gators are also returning Pearsall, along with sophomore Caleb Douglas, who has the potential to take a huge step forward in 2023.
The running game will only be successful for the Gators if the offense remains three-dimensional. With the group of receivers Florida has at their disposal, that will be the case if they play up to their potential. Florida, for the first time in what feels like over a decade, has multiple receivers who can take the top off the defense in the passing game. That in itself is an improvement and will likely be a focal point on offense against Utah.
Mertz has the ability to throw the deep ball, he just needs his receivers to get open, something that the WR room often struggled with in 2022.
Limiting the Big Plays on Defense
Florida’s defense will be improved in 2023 in comparison to 2022. The front seven is deep, and the linebackers are fast. The secondary is talented but somewhat inexperienced, particularly at safety.
The aforementioned TE, Brant Kuithe, had many big catches behind the Gators LBs and in front of their safeties in the 2022 matchup.
Florida has to limit those plays, especially playing on the road. The defensive line being improved will help in that regard as it pertains to rushing the passer and stopping the run, but the secondary will have to make plays on the ball. The uncertainty at QB could provide some help with that as well. First-year Florida Gators defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong will be blitzing all night no matter who Utah starts at QB, so limiting big plays and creating turnovers in a tough road matchup will be crucial. After all, a turnover is what sealed the deal for the Gators over Utah just a season ago.
Special Teams: Will they change the game?
Billy Napier calls his special teams unit “Game Changers.” Well, the special teams for the Gators a season ago changed games, just not for reasons that often benefited the Gators.
There is reason for optimism when it comes to the “Game Changers” in 2023, though.
Florida lacked an explosive option at returner in 2022 that could flip the field on a kickoff or punt return, let alone score.
That said, Florida now has a plethora of options to look to at the returner positions in 2023. Freshmen WRs Eugene Wilson, Andy Jean, and Aiden Mizell are who Gators fans should be excited about, both on offense and on special teams. Other returner options include WR Ricky Pearsall and RB Trevor Etienne, but the former three are the more likely options to get the nod.
Wilson, Jean, and Mizell all possess the game-changing speed that could completely flip the perception of the “Game Changers,” especially against Utah, where a special teams play could change the momentum or potentially seal the game.
