3 key matchups: Florida Gators defense vs. the Utah offense
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators open their 2023 season Thursday at Utah, the second matchup of their home-and-home series.
UF upset the No. 7 Utes last year in The Swamp, 29-26, as Billy Napier became the school’s first coach to defeat a ranked team in his debut.
Here are three key matchups in this year’s game between the Utah offense and Florida’s defense.
QB Cam Rising vs. Florida’s pressure
New UF defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong is going to bring the house against Cam Rising, assuming he starts. One of Armstrong’s trademarks as the Southern Miss DC was getting after the quarterback.
The Golden Eagles ranked No. 4 nationally last season in sacks per game (3.39), with 44.0 total in 13 contests. You can expect Armstrong to bring a lot of pressure against Rising, who has yet to be cleared for the game.
The senior quarterback torn his ACL on Jan. 1 in the team’s Rose Bowl loss to Penn State and didn’t practice in 11-on-11 drills during fall camp. He’s still expected to play and Utah listed him as the starter on its depth chart.
However, even if Rising returns, it’s unlikely that he will be as dangerous with his legs as he was last season against the Gators. He rushed for 91 yards on seven carries in The Swamp, including four first-down runs.
Rising had carries of 11, 14, 26 and 29 yards. The latter came late in the fourth quarter on third-and-7 from the UF 48 as he reached the red zone for a potential game-tying field goal or game-winning touchdown.
Florida also didn’t get any sacks on Rising, who was difficult to take down all year. The Utes allowed just 15.0 sacks last season, which ranked No. 20 nationally. They return three offensive line starters and a fourth player who made two starts in 2022.
The Gators, meanwhile, have better defensive line depth and some newcomers in their front seven who can rush the passer. It will be key for them to rattle Rising with blitzes, QB hurries and sacks as well as contain him in the run game.
Brant Kuithe vs. Florida’s LBs, DBs
Rising also threw for 216 yards at Florida last season, with tight end Brant Kuithe accounting for almost half of that production.
Kuithe set a career high with nine receptions and had just his third 100-yard receiving game in five seasons with the Utes. He finished 105 yards against the Gators and caught a 7-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to give Utah an early lead.
Kuithe was a matchup problem all night against Florida’s inside linebackers and safeties, but all of the starters from last season are gone.
Two transfers UF added at those positions, redshirt junior linebacker Mannie Nunnery and junior safety RJ Moten, should help in coverage. Nunnery played safety at Houston and is Florida’s best cover linebacker, while Moten allowed zero touchdowns in 534 coverage snaps at Michigan.
Kuithe suffered a torn ACL last season on Sept. 24 against Arizona State. He was limited in fall camp but should be full go for the opener. The Gators must a better job defending Kuithe on Thursday, but they have a few more coverage options to throw at him this time around.
Utah’s backs vs. Florida’s run defense
In addition to Rising, Florida was also torched by Tavion Thomas on the ground. The former Utah running back rushed 115 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in The Swamp.
That was a sign of things to come. The Utes finished with the No. 11 rushing offense in the FBS at 217.6 yards per game, while Florida’s rushing defense ranked 100th nationally.
Despite the departure of Thomas, Utah returns two backs in sophomore Ja’Quinden Jackson and junior Micah Bernard, both of whom eclipsed 500 yards rushing last season.
Bernard had 106 carries for 533 yards and four touchdowns, while Jackson rushed 78 times for 531 yards and nine TDs. Jackson has been named Utah’s starting running back.
The Gators need their defensive line and linebackers, particularly the impact transfers at those positions, to be more disruptive and successful against Utah’s rushing attack.
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