Key Matchups That Could Decide Florida Gators vs. Utah Utes

Three key matchups that could decide Florida's season-opener against Utah.

The Florida Gators, unranked to begin Billy Napier's tenure as head coach, have long been considered the home underdogs against the No. 7 Utah Utes to open the 2022 season.

In order to beat the odds, the Gators will have to win individual matchups with the reigning Pac-12 champions on both sides of the ball, limiting the Utes' physical offense, exposing a sound defense with a new-look rushing attack and ultimately rely on the development of a projected rising star at quarterback in Anthony Richardson.

RELATED: Ten takeaways from Florida's Week 1 depth chart

All Gators has broken down the three key matchups that will decide Florida vs. Utah below.

The rushing attacks vs. front sevens, going both ways

There's a good chance that, by the end of the season, both the Gators' and Utes' offenses will be known for their strong rushing attacks. Both will be put to the test on Saturday night against front sevens that have been reshuffled this offseason.

Florida's running game, headlined by starter Nay'Quan Wright, will likely be a three-headed attack as co-second-teamers Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne are expected to earn carries. They'll run behind a veteran offensive line that has combined for 87 career starts and features second-team Preseason All-American guard O'Cyrus Torrence.

What works in Florida's favor is the lack of experience defensively across Utah's front seven. Former UF linebacker Mohamoud Diabate is actually the most experienced member of the seven with 37 games under his belt — no other linebacker or defensive line has more than 19.

Defensive end Van Fillinger and defensive tackle Junior Tafuna will be players worth monitoring as well as Diabate. Both players put together breakout campaigns in 2021, combining for 11 sacks and 15 tackles for loss,

Utah's rushing offense looks quite similar to Florida's, with a mix of experienced and young talent in the backfield and a veteran offensive line that has accumulated 72 starts to pair. Tavion Thomas is expected to lead the way at running back and posted 1108 yards and 21 touchdowns a season ago, with Micah Bernard returning in a complementary role after putting up 774 all-purpose yards and four scores in 2021.

The Utes named another two backs as co-starters with Thomas and Bernard: Chris Curry and Lake Gibson (Fla.) 2022 standout Jaylon Glover. Curry leads the running back room in appearances with 36 dating back to his time at LSU but has yet to post more than 189 rushing yards in a season.

Glover, a former Gators recruit, could certainly factor into the rotation. All Utes, a sister site of All Gators, reported that Glover even entered Utah's RB2 competition in the spring, suggesting that he could be a serious candidate for touches on Saturday, an intriguing storyline as his first college game is against a team he grew up watching.

Florida's front four has shaped up well after plenty of competition in the fall, with second-team Preseason All-SEC honorees Gervon Dexter and Brenton Cox Jr., Jalen Lee and Princely Umanmielen named starters while intriguing young defenders Tyreak Sapp and Justus Boone are expected to rotate on the end spots. Desmond Watson could also be a factor at nose tackle.

We expect to see a similar rotation at linebacker, which we'll dive into next.

Florida's linebackers vs. Utah's tight ends

The Utes possess two tight ends who are expected to contribute in Dalton Kincaid and Brant Kuithe. The duo served as a crucial aspect of Utah's offense a year ago, combining for 86 receptions, 1,125 yards and 14 touchdowns.

UF's linebacker corps struggled mightily with containing receiving tight ends over the last several years, and the hope is that defensive coordinator Patrick Toney's scheme will simplify the task at hand for the second-level defenders. The theory will surely be tested on Saturday evening.

Gators linebacker Amari Burney went as far as to liken Utah's usage of Kuithe to former All-American UF tight end Kyle Pitts, a frightening comparison although Burney is confident that the unit will be able to keep the first-team Preseason All-Pac-12 pass-catcher in check.

"It's going to be a good challenge for us. I feel like we're ready, though," Burney said on Monday. "They've got two good tight ends, No. 80 [Kincaid] and No. 86 [Kuithe]. No. 80, we've been watching on film. He's kind of a hybrid tight end, kind of like Kyle Pitts, kind of how we used him. It's going to be a very good challenge for us."

Although Burney and Ventrell Miller are listed as starters on the Gators' Week 1 depth chart, expect true freshman Shemar James and redshirt freshman Jeremiah Williams to earn some reps against the dynamic tight end duo as well. The underclassmen are the lone backups at the inside linebacker spots over more experienced contributors in Derek Wingo and Diwun Black following strong fall camps performances. 

Anthony Richardson vs. Utah's entire defense

It's finally time for Florida fans to see what they have in Richardson on a full-time basis.

Going up against a top 10 team in Utah, returning ample experience defensively, is a fantastic yet intimidating first opportunity for Richardson to prove he's the type of quarterback that can elevate his offense as mock drafts and analysts have projected this entire offseason.

Florida will certainly depend on Richardson to have that kind of sway on the game. Napier has spent plenty of time with Richardson to ensure the game plan is catered to his comfort level.

"I think it’s important that you have a pulse with what the quarterback is comfortable with. Sometimes that’s more important than what you think, so you get the quarterback input." Napier said on Wednesday. "It’s one of the great things about being in the meeting room with him throughout the week and getting to hear him and certainly on the field, between reps, between plays we get the same thing. That dialogue and that feedback will go all the way up to kickoff.”

With strengths on both sides of the ball that match up well with one another and experience leaning heavily in Utah's favor, Richardson's development will be put to the test. This is likely going to be a close game, and Richardson's electric dual-threat talents as well as his composure under pressure could be what puts the Gators over the top to earn an upset victory.

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