The Gators have now won 33 straight home openers, the longest active streak in the nation
By David Cobb
• 1 min read
One of college football's marquee Week 1 matchups lived up to its billing Saturday night as Florida outlasted No. 7 Utah 29-26 in The Swamp to begin Gators coach Billy Napier's tenure with a statement victory over the reigning Pac-12 champions. Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson put the Gators ahead on a 2-yard touchdown run with 1:25 remaining before linebacker Amari Burney intercepted star Utah QB Cameron Rising in the end zone with 17 seconds left to seal the victory.
In a game that went back and forth all night, Richardson stood out as the star by repeatedly making clutch plays with his arm and legs. Making his first career home start in his hometown of Gainesville, Florida, the sophom*ore finished 17 of 24 passing for 168 yards, adding 103 yards rushing and a career-high three touchdowns on the ground. In addition to his go-ahead run in the final two minutes, Richardson's breakaway 45-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter put Florida ahead 14-13 entering halftime.
Rising produced an impressive outing of his own but could not lead the Utes to a game-tying field goal or potential game-wining touchdown on the final drive. He tossed a near-interception early in the final possession before Burney grabbed Rising's pass from inside the 6-yard line on the penultimate play of the game.
Florida running back Montrell Johnson Jr. added 77 yards rushing on 12 carriers and a fourth-quarter touchdown, redeeming himself after a costly fumble on the Gators' first drive of the game. Freshman RB Trevor Etienne scampered for 64 yards on five carries in his first career game. Richardson also had help from Arizona State transfer wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who caught four passes for 67 yards to lead all Gators pass catchers.
Utah entered the season with College Football Playoff aspirations, but those met early peril at the hands of a hungry Florida team that looked poised to put last season's 6-7 record in the past as the Napier era gets underway. Napier became the first coach in program history to lead the Gators to a victory over a ranked opponent in his first game as Florida continued the nation's longest active winning streak with a victory in its 33rd consecutive home opener.
What did we learn from the the Gators' dramatic victory over the Utes? Let's break down three takeaways from Saturday night's game.
Richardson is a star
Johnson and Etienne provided substantive contributions on the ground, and Pearsall shined in his debut, but Richardson was the clear MVP for Florida. After fighting for the starting job last season with Emory Jones, who has since transferred to Arizona State, Richardson looked like one of the 2022 season's potential breakout stars. It's no surprise that some have him projected as a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Though his three touchdown runs stood out, particularly the 45-yard streak down the left sideline, Richardson's 2-point conversion pass with 12:48 remaining may have been the play of the game. Richardson eluded a pair of pass rushers with a pump fake that bought him enough time to find Ja'Quavion Fraziars wide open in the corner of the end zone to put the Gators ahead 22-19 following Johnson's touchdown run.
Without the 2-point conversion, a mere field goal may have been enough to put Utah ahead in the game's closing seconds, and Rising would likely have never taken the shot to the end zone that resulted in Burney's game-clinching interception.
Utah's new ceiling
Throughout the offseason, Utah was anointed the Pac-12's best hope of snapping a CFP drought that dates back to 2016. After going toe to toe with Ohio State in a Rose Bowl loss to cap the 2021 season, the Utes brought back 14 starters to one of the nation's most-established programs under coach Kyle Whittingham, who began his 18th year with the program Saturday night.
While a Week 1 loss doesn't completely eliminate Utah from CFP contention, it removes any margin for error and makes the task particularly daunting. The Utes started 1-2 last season with losses to BYU and San Diego State and still managed to win the Pac-12 but finished 11th in the CFP Rankings, well out of true contention.
With Oregon, USC and Washington all breaking in new head coaches, Utah still has an excellent opportunity to repeat as conference champions. Once again, however, there's little benefit of the doubt for a Pac-12 favorite when it comes to the playoff picture. With Utah's loss, the conference is 1-8 against SEC teams in Week 1 over the last 11 seasons. Pac-12 teams were ranked in seven of those eight losses.
Redemption is sweet
Florida's defense looked improved under new co-coordinators Patrick Toney and Sean Spencer following Todd Grantham's lackluster tenure in the role under previous coach Dan Mullen. However, Utah had consistent success finding tight end Brant Kuithe, who finished with nine catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. Often times, it was Burney who was matched up with Kuithe, a three-time All-Pac 12 performer. However, any shortcomings from the senior linebacker's performance were more than atoned for with his game-saving interception. The fifth-year senior will be remembered as a hero for his diving snag with the game on the line.
Burney is not the only one who redeemed himself Saturday. Johnson, whose fumble on the drive of the game ultimately led to Utah's first touchdown, not only held onto the ball for the remainder of the contest but made the most of his touches. The transfer, who followed Napier from Louisiana to Florida, was the Gators' leading rusher with 89 total yards and a score on the evening.
