Florida football: 3 takeaways from statement win over No. 7 Utah

Billy Napier was looking to make a statement in his first game as Florida football coach against the nation’s No. 7 team. What’d we learn?

The Billy Napier era got off to a great start on Saturday night as Florida football hosted the No. 7 team in the nation as Utah came to town.

The Gators and Utes went back and forth for 60 minutes and even though Florida was the underdog, it was in prime position to win late in the fourth quarter while trailing 26-22. Anthony Richardson took a quarterback keeper for six, giving the Gators a three-point lead with just over a minute left.

Florida’s defense help up, picking Cameron Rising off in the end zone to seal the massive season-opening win.

What’d we learn from this one?

3. The Swamp had that special feel again

It felt like it had been years since The Swamp was really a scary place to play, but it had that feel once again on Saturday night. Fans really showed up for one of the most underrated matchups of the weekend as the Gators were looking to upset the nation’s No. 7 team and make a statement.

Billy Napier seems to be driving serious excitement within this program and after it looked like a rebuild was on the horizon, he quickly proved that he can win big games.

Going from Louisiana to Florida is a major transition but he coached his team to a huge win on Saturday night and fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium were rowdy. They showed up and showed out and if that continues for the rest of the year, Florida is going to be really tough to beat at home.

No one wants to travel to Gainesville, especially after Saturday night.