Florida football: 3 bold predictions for battle with No. 14 Utah

Florida Gators running back Trevor Etienne (7) and Florida Gators offensive lineman Austin Barber (58) celebrate after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 12, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Carolina GamecocksSyndication Gainesville Sun /

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It’s officially game day. Florida football will be in Salt Lake City on Thursday night to take on No. 14 Utah in the back half of a home-and-home series.

Last year, the Gators got the best of the Utes in Gainesville, but you know that Utah didn’t forget that en route to a second straight Pac-12 title. They enter the 2023 season as one of the top teams in the Pac-12, but questions at quarterback for the opener because of a Cameron Rising injury have everyone buzzing.

Let’s get bold ahead of this massive Thursday night battle.

3. Florida picks up five sacks

The pass rush for Florida was horrendous in 2022, ranking near the bottom of the SEC in sacks, averaging just 1.8 per game. That just wasn’t enough. The Gators had 23 total sacks which was the program’s lowest total in a single season since 2017.

What did Billy Napier do to address that? He reached into the portal for some dudes who can contribute and get to the quarterback.

Cam Jackson from Memphis and Caleb Banks from Louisville should cause problems in the opener against Utah and I think Florida makes a living in the backfield early against a quarterback who has very little experience and may be shaky in the first half.

I see Florida finishing with five sacks and starting the season strong, potentially setting up a successful season in the trenches.

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