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Even with out two-time all-Pac-12 quarterback Cameron Rising, No. 14 Utah had little bother caring for Florida in its 2023 opener.
Utah used the quarterback mixture of Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson and a swarming protection to overwhelm the Gators, 24-11, on Thursday to begin the season 1-0. It was additionally a little bit of revenge for the Utes after a heartbreaking Week 1 loss to the Gators in Gainesville final fall.
There had been hypothesis about Rising’s availability after he suffered a severe knee harm in final 12 months’s Rose Bowl. With Rising nonetheless on the mend, Barnes, a walk-on, obtained the beginning and made his presence identified from his very first go.
As an alternative of enjoying it secure with a reserve quarterback, the Utes went with a play-action deep ball on their first play from scrimmage. Barnes discovered Cash Parks behind the protection for a 70-yard landing to ship Rice-Eccles Stadium right into a frenzy.
The Barnes-to-Parks connection gave the Utes a 7-0 lead — a lead they might by no means relinquish thanks largely to a prolonged listing of miscues from Billy Napier’s Gators.
Florida dedicated process penalties on three separate third or fourth-and-1 performs, together with one early within the second quarter when Utah’s lead was 7-3.
The Gators, after disregarding the early Utah landing, strung collectively a pleasant drive led by new quarterback Graham Mertz, a Wisconsin switch. Florida obtained all the best way to Utah’s 9-yard line and saved the offense on the sector for a fourth-and-1, solely to commit a false begin penalty. From there, Napier, the second-year UF head coach, despatched out his discipline aim unit and kicker Adam Mihalek shanked a 31-yard attempt.
On the following possession, the Florida protection compelled a Utah punt solely to present the ball again to the Utes in embarrassing vogue. When the Gators lined as much as discipline the punt, that they had two gamers on the sector sporting No. 3. That’s a substitution infraction penalty, and it gave Utah an computerized first down.
4 performs later, the speedy Johnson broke off a 27-yard landing run to present Utah a 14-3 lead with 7:50 remaining within the first half.
Florida doomed by self-inflicted errors
Extra Florida miscues ensued from there.
A 21-yard shanked punt from Jeremy Crawshaw set Utah up for a discipline aim that gave the Utes a 17-3 halftime lead. Early within the third quarter, Florida freshman Eugene Wilson mistakenly fielded a punt inside his personal 10-yard line, backing up Mertz and the Gators offense close to their very own finish zone. Three performs later, Mertz was intercepted on a ball that deflected off Ricky Pearsall’s fingers.
The interception gave Utah the ball at Florida’s 11-yard line. Three performs later, Barnes ran it in from 5 yards out to extend Utah’s result in 24-3.
Florida’s distress didn’t finish there. The Gators’ subsequent drive ended within the purple zone thanks partly to a different ill-timed penalty. This time, it was an unlawful formation on third-and-1 from the Utah 13. A turnover on downs quickly adopted.
Florida did get into the tip zone by way of a Mertz landing go on its fourth journey to the purple zone, but it surely was too little, too late as Utah was in a position to get one other fourth-down cease after which run out the fourth quarter clock to seal the win.
In the long run, Florida dedicated 9 penalties, mustered solely 13 speeding yards, allowed 5 sacks and went a depressing 1-of-13 on third-down and 2-of-5 on fourth down within the loss. The Gators’ protection performed fairly properly, however the miscues on offense and particular groups have been an excessive amount of to beat.
Utah completed the sport with solely 270 yards of offense, 70 of which got here on that first play. After that preliminary lengthy landing, the Utes averaged solely 3.8 yards per play, however their red-zone effectiveness and talent to capitalize on Florida’s errors in the end made an enormous distinction within the remaining consequence.
What does this imply for Utah?
It is a good way for Utah to begin the season. Beating an SEC group is one factor, however to do it with a number of reserve quarterbacks is one other factor.
It is going to be a slog to maneuver this early season schedule earlier than Rising can return — presumably for convention play. The Utes will go to Baylor subsequent week in one other tough non-conference matchup earlier than internet hosting FCS Weber State in Week 3. This can be a confidence builder for the Utes’ younger quarterbacks if Rising cannot play subsequent weekend in Waco, however replicating this type of efficiency on the highway goes to be a problem.
Utah wasn’t in a position to run the ball a lot, and that is a little bit of a priority. However the Utes can lean on their protection to remain in video games, and which may be the recipe for head coach Kyle Whittingham till Rising can return.
What’s subsequent for Florida?
It wasn’t all dangerous for Florida. The protection, after that first play, performed a reasonably strong ballgame. Mertz confirmed some indicators of life in a way more attention-grabbing passing recreation than the one he performed in at Wisconsin, however the repeated self-inflicted errors don’t replicate positively on Napier to begin his second season in Gainesville.
Florida’s ineffectiveness on third down was obvious, as was the lack to maintain Mertz upright. The Gators additionally actually struggled to run the ball, and the group’s pass-catching choices didn’t impress.
The Gators went 6-7 in Napier’s first season, and this was not a constructive solution to begin his second 12 months in cost. Subsequent week, Florida will get a go to from McNeese State earlier than a go to from No. 12 Tennessee in Week 3. There’s quite a bit to wash up earlier than the Vols come to city.
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