The Florida Gators will look to upset the No.14 ranked Utah Utes on Thursday night in Salt Lake City. The orange and blue currently sit at 6.5 point underdogs with two days until kickoff.
Gator Country provides a roundtable discussion to preview Florida vs Utah.
What are the keys for the Gators’ offense against Utah?
AS: The Gators need to establish the running game early on in this game to allow Graham Mertz to settle into the offense, if the running game is able to get things going then the offense will have a lot of success. Last year Florida ran for 283 yards and if they’re able to do that again this year, then Florida will have a good chance of winning this game.
NM: The key to the Gators’ offense is QB Graham Mertz and the offensive line. Surrounding the new signal caller is a pair of elite college running backs in Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne as well as a veteran receiver in Ricky Pearsall and an influx of young pass catchers. If the offensive line holds up, it allows Mertz time in the pocket to get the ball to Florida’s speedy playmakers. As Andrew noted, a strong running game will ease Mertz into the Gators’ offense. Florida’s main advantage over Utah is their speed; use that to your advantage.
GH: Graham Mertz will be the deciding factor on how well this offense performs on Thursday. The offensive line needs to give Mertz time to settle in and play his game or Utah’s defense could cause problems early. The run game for Florida will also need to perform as expected to lift some weight off Mertz’ shoulders and allow him time.
What are the keys for the Gators’ defense against Utah?
AS: Cam Rising is going to play in this game but he won’t be 100% healthy from what we’ve gathered so the Gators need to get pressure on him and test his injured knee. If the Gators are able to hit Rising and force him into mistakes, that would help the offense a lot.
NM: Getting pressure on the quarterback. With Rising potentially playing just eight months after an ACL surgery, he likely won’t be 100% in this game. Forcing him to move around in the pocket may make him uncomfortable, which could create sack and turnover opportunities.
GH: The biggest key for the defense on Thursday is to bring pressure and get to Cam Rising. If the defensive line can bring solid pressure, that should open up the door for this secondary to really come together on Thursday night. Pass coverage and quarterback pressure needs to take a step forward against Utah.
Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz is making his first start in a Gators’ uniform on Thursday night. What does he need to do to lead his team to a victory in Salt Lake City?
AS: Limit the mistakes is the biggest thing for Mertz this year, the Gators can’t afford for Mertz to turn the ball over and that’s something that has been a problem for him in his career. Billy Napier and the staff have worked with Mertz about limiting turnovers and that will be put to the test this week.
NM: Mertz needs to take what Utah’s defense is giving him with a simplified approach. Trusting Florida’s playmakers and not trying to do too much is key.
GH: You hear it get thrown around this program sometimes, but Graham Mertz just needs to be a boring quarterback if the Gators are to find consistent success in the passing game. Whenever Anthony Richardson made mistakes last season, he never slowed the game down for himself which led to forced throws and errors. Slowing the game down for himself and being able to execute the little things while being a good game manager will be vital if Graham Mertz is to lead this team to victory Thursday night.
Who scores the first touchdown of the season for the Gators?
AS: I’m going to go with Montrell Johnson, the Gators will drive the field and Johnson will get a touchdown inside the 5-yard line.
NM: Andrew stole my pick here. I’m going to go with Ricky Pearsall. Mertz has a great on and off the field connection with Pearsall and I think the 6-1, 190-pound receiver has a chance to double his number of receptions last year (33).
GH: I think Montrell Johnson will score the first touchdown for the Gators in 2023. The junior will likely get the majority of carries to begin the game and if Florida gets in the red zone, I see Johnson getting six points.
Other keys to victory?
AS: The Utes don’t lose at home very often so the Gators must get out to a good start and now allow the crowd to get into the game. Florida isn’t built to come from behind so a fast start is key.
NM: Winning the turnover battle is a key for every single game. Florida has struggled with tackling over the last few years, and in the first game of the season against the No.14 team in the country, the Gators will need to limit missed tackles. It’s also the first game of the season and the first of their careers for many contributing players, limiting penalties on the road in a hostile environment will be critical.
GH: I think special teams could be a really big factor on Thursday with Ricky Pearsall and Eugene Wilson now returning punts. In my eyes, Xzavier Henderson held that group back last season and I’m excited to see how those two players perform in that role. We’ll also need to see a new version of Adam Mihalek in week one.
Give us your prediction on how this game will turn out.
AS: This isn’t going to be the most popular prediction around the country but I think Florida goes into Utah and wins the game. I have Florida winning 23-17.
NM: I think Florida upsets Utah once again, this time by a score of 24-20. Florida will have a hard time replacing Anthony Richardson’s efficient performance against Utah a year ago, but I think the Gators did enough on the defensive side of the ball to pull this one off. With two of Utah’s best players in Cam Rising in Brant Kuithe potentially playing in their first live reps of fall, there’s too many question marks surrounding the Utes.
GH: I truly think this defense has changed for the better and hopefully we get a glimpse of that on Thursday. If Florida can do a 180 on defense behind good quarterback play from Graham Mertz, I think Florida gets the job done in Salt Lake City. I have the Gators winning 27-20.