The Orange and Blue will fly out on Wednesday afternoon to Salt Lake City in an effort to take down the Utah Utes in Thursday night’s road matchup. The 2023 opener marks the third meeting between Florida and Utah, with the Gators holding a 2-0 series lead.
“We’ve begun our preparation for the opener, and obviously Utah is a very formidable opponent,” Florida Head Coach Billy Napier said during Friday’s game week press conference. “This is Pac-12 champ back-to-back years, and certainly a ton of respect for Coach Whittingham, Coach Scalley, Coach Ludwig, just the brand of football.”
Florida and Utah last faced off in the 2022 season opener, when unranked Florida upset No.7 Utah 29-26 behind three rushing touchdowns by QB Anthony Richardson and a game-sealing interception by LB Amari Burney.
“Had a chance to compete against them in the past. Certainly last year was a heck of a football game,” Napier said. “But they definitely have an identity, and it’s one of the reasons why they’ve been able to perform with consistency and be a contender year in, year out.”
Napier made it clear that last’s year’s victory has nothing to do with this season’s home opener.
“That game is going to have nothing to do with this game. The players on our team and the players on their team are going to line up and play this year,” Napier said. I think that we have some familiarity. Obviously we spent time planning for that game. They spent time planning for that game. There’s a little bit more background in that regard. But ultimately, this team that we have this year has got to put the ball down and go compete and find a way to win the game.”
Utah brings a tough and physical team to the table, one that hasn’t lost a home game in two years.
“This is a veteran defense, veteran quarterback, and word out of Utah is this is the most talented team they’ve ever had there,” Napier said on Utah.
“I think we’ve got to really zero in here, going to play on the road in a very tough, competitive environment,” Napier added. “Our attitude, our mindset, we’ve got a lot of momentum. We’ve been working for a long time since January. We’ve got to get the details right here at the very end.”
In 2022, Utah’s tight end Brant Kuithe torched the Gators’ defense for 105 yards and a touchdown, despite the loss. Individual matchups are the key to victory, according to coach Napier.
“The key is that the game is about one-on-ones, and I think the way they play, the way we play, there will be individual match-ups in the game, the technique, the effort,” Napier said. “We talked a lot about that with our team. They’re going to be all over the field. We’ve got to be well-prepared, and you’ve got to do your job within each play.”
CAM RISING
One major storyline that continues to develop as we creep closer to kickoff is the availability of Utah QB Cam Rising, who suffered a torn ACL on Jan.1 in the team’s Rose Bowl loss to Penn State. Rising has still not been cleared to play, but his availability for the season opener is still very much in the air.
“We’re preparing for all of the above,” Napier said on Utah’s QB situation. “And I do think they have very capable players. But we got to see Cam live and in person. Certainly know Cam, his family, ton of respect for him as a person. Competitor, leader, football player. He’s a real quarterback.”
Florida’s defensive staff is planning for multiple quarterbacks on Thursday night.
“We’re doing all the homework we can here, but there’s really some unique players at quarterback that they have on the roster that cause you to really evaluate all the scenarios that could happen. I know our defensive staff has been working on that,” Napier added.
HIGHER ELAVATION
Salt Lake City is at an altitude of 4,265 feet. The majority of Florida’s roster has not had the chance to play at a higher elevation, causing some concern with Gator Nation.
“The altitude, we’ve spent extensive time researching that relative to our sports science and our training staff, and all indications tell us to go stay in your normal routine,” Napier said on the altitude. “It really takes 10 days to get adjusted. Get in, get out. We’ve met with a lot of NFL teams regarding that. We feel good about our plan.”
Gators wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has played at Rice-Eccles Stadium twice in his career during his time at Arizona State.
“I didn’t really notice it too much to be honest,” Pearsall said on the elevation difference. “But there is a little bit of an adjustment factor, but we’re preparing for it each and every day.”
LB Teradja Mitchell isn’t worried about the altitude either.
“For me personally, I don’t know how other players react with that, but at the end of the day you’ve got to go out there and play that game, so I kind of haven’t even worried about the altitude,” Mitchell said. “I’m just going to go out there and go as hard as I can every play.”
The 2022-2023 Gators are looking to become the first team in program history to win back-to-back ranked season openers when they take on Utah on August 31st.