Keys and Position Battles: Utah vs. Florida

For the second year in a row the University of Utah Football program will face the Florida Gators to open the new football season.

While the Utes are the reigning back-to-back Pac-12 Champions and will play the Gators on their own turf in Rice Eccles Stadium, Utah understands well that any SEC opponent is a handful and it will require a complete group effort with few mistakes to beat Florida this time.

Here are the keys to the game:

Disciplined defense with few mistakes

As many Utah fans can recall, Utah’s defensive performance against the Gators last year was certainly one to forget. In an uncharacteristic-like manner, the Utes looked lost at times, missed tackles, and surrendered a whopping 283 yards on the ground with four touchdowns.

That cannot happen again, nor should it.

Looking at Utah’s defense, the vast majority of the starters are returning and a handful are seasoned veterans. Even for those who haven’t seen a lot of time in their careers thus far, each position group has impressive depth and the guys to get the job done. Behind the leadership of Karene Reid, Cole Bishop, Van Fillinger, and JT Broughton — with a long list of talented and game-ready underclassmen — the Utes should be prepared for whatever the Gators dish out.

In terms of Florida’s offense, while Anthony Richardson is no longer a reason to worry, there’s still a handful of weapons on the other side of the ball who can become a problem.

At quarterback, Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz, who can move the ball through the air. As for his primary target, Ricky Pearsall returns after leading the team with 661 yards and five touchdowns last season. Additionally, out of the backfield the Gators return Johnson Jr., and Etienne who aided Richardson in burning the Utes a year ago.

While it's not the same offense as last season, and the offensive line is nowhere near as commanding as they were in the Swamp, Florida is full of high quality athletes that should not be taken lightly.

Success in the run game and commanding the trenches

Regardless of who takes the field under center for the Utes on Thursday, the run game should be the focal point against the Gators defense. That means a plethora of carries for Ja’Quinden Jackson, Micah Bernard and crew, and that the offensive line will also be tasked with creating sizable gaps.

Looking back at last season, while Utah did rush for 230 yards, they weren’t necessarily the most effective yards. Additionally, 115 of those belonged to Tavion Thomas and 91 belonged to Cameron Rising, who is questionable for Thursday’s matchup but is unlikely to rush much even if he plays.

With all that being said, the running back room is absolutely stacked. Utah should dominate the ground and they need to make every carry count. No turnovers, no stops on any potential fourth downs in the red zone, and plenty of production from every single back who gets touches.

If the Utes can rush between 200-250 yards and put up 3+ touchdowns on the ground, that should equal a victory against Florida in week one.

Be prepared for adversity and win the mental battle

There’s so much going into this second matchup with Florida.

Are Cam Rising or Brant Kuithe going to play? It’s not looking likely. Is it Nate Johnson or Bryson Barnes under center if Rising can’t go? Signs point to Barnes. How does this Florida team differ from last year? Is this truly the best Utah defense in program history? Will altitude affect the Gators? Etc. Etc.

With everything going on, Utah has to be mentally strong. Regardless of who takes the field under center, the offense has to respond and make it work. This will be a major swing in the game regardless of if it's Rising or one of the backups.

The first game of the year also always presents a challenge. It doesn’t matter what the experts are saying, what expectations the team has, or who the opponent is, Utah needs to start out strong and maintain that focus for all four quarters on Thursday.

Regardless of their current roster, Florida is an SEC program with way too many athletes. You slip up and it will come back to bite you.

Here are the breakdowns of the position battles for the game one matchup:

Quarterback

If it’s Rising, it’s easily advantage Utah. However, that seems unlikely. At Wisconsin, Mertz was a turnover machine who refused to do anything but operate within the pocket.

With this up in the air, although signs pointing to Bryson Barnes, we’ll stick with a tie.

Running Backs

This is an elite matchup of versatile athletes who can move the ball on the ground. With several returning backs for the Gators who proved themselves capable of moving the ball against Utah a year ago, matched up against an elite duo in Jackson, Bernard, and Glover who could be primed for a breakout. This should be an incredible heavyweight battle.

Wide Receivers

Even with all the talk surrounding Utah’s receivers, the group still has a lot to prove. Outside of Devaughn Vele and Money Parks, there are a lot of new faces. Talented no doubt, but new to the program and system.

Meanwhile, Florida has some serious athletes and several returners in Pearsall and Caleb Douglas who will have a lot more opportunities in a system with a pass-focused quarterback.

Tight Ends

Regardless if Brant Kuithe plays, Utah still has the advantage here with the rest of the room. Florida isn’t heavily focused on utilizing their tight ends outside of blocking for the backs. Utah should dominate here.

Offensive Line

A year ago this was not the case but given the significant overturn of the Gators line, a questionable appearance from Kingsley Eguakun, and a strong returning cast for the Utes, the home team should again have the advantage here.

Defensive Line

Despite some more turnover at this position, Florida has done a good job reloading with talented and experienced defenders such as Princley Umanmielen, Desmond Watson, and Tyreak Sapp just to name a few. Yes, Utah has an incredible defensive line but this should be a highly contested battle between the two groups. Also, this is an area that the Utes are dinged up heading into the matchup.

Linebackers

Utah should far and away have the upperhand in terms of linebackers. With Shemar James as the only returning linebacker to have played more than 200 snaps a year ago, their room is full of new faces and inexperience. Meanwhile, a three-headed monster of Karene Reid, Lander Barton, and Levani Damuni will start for the Utes with a loaded room of depth behind them.

Secondary

Again, Utah. Understandably, the Utes corners aren’t quite as talented as a season ago with the departure of Clark Phillips III to the NFL. However, the safety duo of Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki might be one of the best in the country and should create a nightmare for Mertz.

Special Teams

Special teams are always hard to determine early on as it's often made up of a lot of new faces and freshmen. Florida is likely full of athletes, but Utah has improved its special teams from a year ago, especially in terms of kicking.

Lets just chalk this up as a tie and await for this incredible matchup to begin on Thursday.