Utah Secures Blowout Win Over Florida Gators In Week 1 Without Cam Rising
Thursday evening college football fans from all over tuned into what was expected to be one of the better games of the midweek slate between No. 14 Utah and Florida.
A rematch of last season's fantastic game that came down to the wire, this season's matchup didn't quite live up to the hype. Mostly in part due to the fact that Utah was able to punch the Gators in the mouth immediately with a 70-yard touchdown pass from Bryson Barnes to Money Parks on the first offensive play of the game for Utah. That's right, the former walk-on was starting in place of Cam Rising who is still nursing his knee injury that he suffered during the Rose Bowl this past season.
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The Gators were able to eventually answer with a field goal, but those three points were the only time they were able to get on the board in the first half. Fellow reserve quarterback Nate Johnson also added a score with his legs, showcasing his speed and athleticism on a scamper that had the Gator defense looking foolish.
As for the Gators offense that was led by Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz, the Utes' defense was causing havoc and living in the backfield all game long. With a fully brand new offensive line, the experienced Utah defense racked up five sacks and seven tackles for a loss. Junior Jonah Elliss accounted for two of the sacks on Mertz, who is not nearly as mobile of a quarterback as the Gator offense appears to need. They also picked Mertz off when they were up 17-3, which led to the dagger touchdown to close out the game. The Gator run game was rendered useless, as Utah held them to just 13 yards rushing on 0.6 yards per carry.
The victory ends Utah's five game losing streak against non-conference Power 5 opponents, and also starts them off as an emphatic 1-0 on the season with Rising on track to return in the coming weeks.
