Utah football dominated the Gators at home this evening.
When it was announced that Bryce Barnes would start at quarterback for Utah football, many thought the Gators had an opportunity to go on the road at Rice-Eccles and upset the 14th-ranked Utes. Well, no one told the Utes that Cam Rising was the be-all, end-all at quarterback. A combination of first-half miscues and Bryce Barnes playing like a senior won the day for Utah.
Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig decided to go deep on the first play of the game. Barnes connected with receiver Money Parks on a 70-yard touchdown. Florida’s offense went three and out on its first two possessions before kicking a field goal.
The Gators’ offense could not get the running game going at all tonight. They got beat up front, with quarterback Graham Mertz taking a couple of sacks.
For the Utes, Whittingham has to love how Barnes showed command of the offense and comfort running the show in place of Rising, who wasn’t cleared to play because of an ACL injury suffered in the Rose Bowl last year.
Utah also played quarterback Nate Johnson, who was used more as a runner. The offense did stall at times but put up enough points to win the game. The Utes defense sacked Mertz five times, and the Gators converted one of 13 third downs.
Utah Football Dominated the Gators.
The Gators’ offense did not look prepared for Utah’s physicality along the defensive line. Florida ran for just 13 yards on 21 carries. Eleven of those yards came on a scramble from quarterback Graham Mertz. Utes’ defensive linemen lived in the backfield against the Gators. Also, Mertz was sacked five times.
Florida looked out of sync. Much of that had to do with Utah’s ability to penetrate the Gators’ offensive line and stalemate them. Mertz did not play poorly, throwing for 333 yards and a late touchdown. However, Mertz made some questionable decisions at times during the game.
He took a sack, which led to a turnover on downs. In fact, the Gators had three possessions end on downs in the second half.
Defensively, Florida did not play poorly. The defense limited Utah to 12 yards in the third quarter. They were often put in bad positions when the offense could not move the football, giving the Utes a short field.
That said, the Gators limited the Utes to just 13 first downs and 270 total yards. Florida allowed seven points in the second half, shutting out the Utes in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the Gators offense sputtered most of the game.
Bryce Barnes played with poise for Utah Football
Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig wanted everyone to know that he had confidence in quarterback Bryce Barnes. How do you do that? Have him throw deep on his first pass of the game. Seventy yards later, Utah had a 7-0 lead. Ludwig and the Utah offense had a solid game plan, and they scored enough points for the win.
It was not pretty at times, but the offense was effective enough to get the home victory. Ludwig did a good job of using quarterback Nate Johnson to help with the running game. They did miss Cam Rising tonight, but the offense did enough.
One thing that bailed out the offense was a dominant defensive performance by the Utah defense. Florida could not get anything going offensively. Utah’s defensive front was outstanding all night long. Florida could not run, and though Graham Mertz threw for over 300 yards, 100 of those yards came on four throws.
Mertz was sacked five times, and Utah bowed up on key downs. Florida converted just one third down and two fourth downs. Utah was more physical at the point of attack and executed better than Flordia.
What’s next for Utah Football?
Head coach Kyle Whittingham likes the fact that he picked up the home win tonight, but he, offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, and the offensive staff can’t wait to get Cam Rising back under center. Rising was not the only player out for the Utes.
Tight end Brant Kuthie was also out tonight against the Gators. The Utes were also missing a couple of defensive linemen tonight.
Offensively, the Utes running game was lackluster, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. Ludwig wants to get the running game going against Baylor next weekend for sure.
What’s next for Florida Football?
Head coach Billy Napier has much to correct for the Gators’ offense. The offensive line looked out of sync for much of the game tonight. They had no rhythm running the football and allowed the Utes’ defensive line into the backfield for most of the evening. Graham Mertz held the football too long on a lot of possessions and made some poor decisions at times.
The defense did play well, however. They limited the Utah running game to 3.5 yards per carry and settled down after allowing the 70-yard touchdown pass. They can take their game against McNeese State to get things together before they start conference play against #12 Tennessee.