Florida vs Utah Preview

Date: September 3, 2022
Time: 7:00pm EST
Network: ESPN
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
Spread: Utah -3.0
Over/Under: 51

Florida vs Utah Preview

The #7 Utah Utes travel to the Swamp to face the unranked Florida Gators for each of their opening games of the season. Utah is coming off of a Pac-12 Championship last season, led by a fantastic running game, a tremendous defense, and a quick passing game commanded by quarterback Cam Rising. Utah looks to be an early favorite to repeat as Pac-12 champions, with a few other contenders in Oregon and USC to compete with. The Utes’ toughest non-conference matchup looks to be this opening game. The Florida Gators are coming off a tumultuous season that led to the firing of previous coach Dan Mullen. New head coach Billy Napier looks to lead Florida back to success in his first season. Florida opens the season with a tough stretch with three of the first four games against quality opponents, headlined by Utah.

Individual stats are courtesy of sports-reference.com, and team stats and rankings are courtesy of teamrankings.com

Utah Utes

2021 Recap

2021 Record: 10-4
Passing Leader: Cameron Rising, R-Jr (current year), 63.8% 2493 yds, 7.8 YPA, 20 TDs, 5 INTs
Rushing Leader: Tavion Thomas, R-Jr, 1108 yds, 5.4 YPC, 21 TDs
Receiving Leader: Brant Kuithe, R-Sr, 50 rec, 611 yds, 12.2 YPC, 6 TDs
Sack Leader: Mika Tafua, NFL, 48 tackles, 13 TFLs, 9.5 sacks
Tackle/Interception Leader: Devin Lloyd, NFL, 111 tackles, 22 TFLs, 7.0 sacks, 4 INTs, 1 FR, 1 FF

2021 Offensive Stats

Points Per Game (Rank): 35.8 (13)
Total Yards Per Game: 429.8 (39)
Passing YPG: 210.6 (85)
Rushing YPG: 219.2 (11)
Points Per Play: 0.521 (7)
Yards Per Play: 6.2 (20)
3rd Down Conversion %: 49.69 (7)
4th Down Conversion %: 50.00 (66)
Red Zone Scoring %: 80.00 (88)

Rush Play %: 57.1 (33)
Yards Per Carry: 5.6 (2)
Runs Per Game: 39.3 (39)

Pass Play %: 42.91 (98)
Completion %: 62.63 (48)
Yards Per Pass: 7.4 (71)
Passes Per Game: 28.6 (90)
Interception %: 1.88 (31)
QB Sack %: 3.13 (2)

2021 Defensive Stats

Points Per Game: 23.0 (32)
Total Yards Per Game: 349.1 (23)
Passing YPG: 223.0 (57)
Rushing YPG: 126.1 (21)
Points Per Play: 0.337 (38)
Yards Per Play: 5.1 (34)
3rd Down Conversion %: 38.12 (56)
4th Down Conversion %: 53.33 (72)
Red Zone Scoring %: 79.55 (42)

Rush Play %: 48.31 (13)
Yards Per Carry: 3.8 (37)
Runs Per Game: 33.0 (16)

Pass Play %: 51.61 (118)
Completion %: 61.28 (71)
Yards Per Pass: 6.9 (32)
Passes Per Game: 32.4 (80)
Interception %: 2.14 (89)
QB Sack %: 8.28 (25)

2021 tEAM Advanced sTATS

FEI is a per-possession metric to determine the scoring differential between opponents on a neutral field. SP+ is a tempo (plays per game, etc.) and opponent adjusted metric to judge efficiency. F+ combines these two metrics. Offensive F+ (OF+) and Defensive F+ (DF+) break that down to the side of the ball. All five metrics are courtesy of Football Outsiders. PFF’s Point Spread Rating is their version of power rankings.

F+: 1.22 (10)
FEI: 0.74 (7)
SP+: 15.2 (16)
OF+: 1.35 (11)
DF+: 0.90 (20)
PFF: 10.5 (10)

Utah Utes Team Breakdown

The Utah Utes are an extremely talented team that is returning a majority of it’s starters from last season. They have a good team culture with coach Kyle Whittingham in his 18th season, and are built to play a bully-ball style of game. They will pound the rock with a vicious barrage of running backs and have plenty of skilled playmakers at the tight end spot to go big. Defensively, their line will look to eat up space to let their new linebackers make plays. The secondary is very talented on the outside, but is a mixed bag at safety. If one of the new safeties can step up, this could be one of the best secondaries in college football. Quarterback Cam Rising will look to play efficiently and deliver the ball to his playmakers quickly to avoid mistakes.

Utah Utes Keys To Victory

Stop the Run
Force Turnovers
Avoid Early Deficits
Run the Ball Effectively

Florida Gators

2021 Recap

20221 Record: 6-7
Passing/Rushing Leader: Emory Jones, R-Sr (Transferred), 64.7%, 2734 yards, 7.9 YPA, 19 TDs, 13 INTs, 143 carries, 759 yards, 5.3 YPC, 4 TDs
Receiving Leader: Jacob Copeland, R-Sr (Transferred), 41 rec, 642 yards, 15.7 YPC, 4 TDs
Sack Leader: Brenton Cox, R-Sr (current), 41 tackles, 14.5 TFLs, 8 sacks
Tackle Leader: Mohamoud Diabate, Sr (Transferred) 89 tackles, 2.5 TFLs
Interception Leader: Rashad Torrence, Jr, 87 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 3 INTs

2021 Offensive Stats

Points Per Game (Rank): 27.4 (61)
Total Yards Per Game: 443.0 (20)
Passing YPG: 236.6 (61)
Rushing YPG: 206.4 (22)
Points Per Play: 0.386 (63)
Yards Per Play: 6.2 (21)
3rd Down Conversion %: 38.89 (70)
4th Down Conversion %: 56.00 (50)
Red Zone Scoring %: 84.44 (54)

Rush Play %: 53.64 (63)
Yards Per Carry: 5.4 (6)
Runs Per Game: 38.1 (52)

Pass Play %: 46.36 (68)
Completion %: 61.94 (59)
Yards Per Pass: 7.5 (68)
Passes Per Game: 31.8 (55)
Interception %: 4.72 (129)
QB Sack %: 3.54 (7)

2021 Defensive Stats

Points Per Game: 24.7 (44)
Total Yards Per Game: 354.3 (34)
Passing YPG: 186.3 (9)
Rushing YPG: 168.1 (82)
Points Per Play: 0.361 (50)
Yards Per Play: 5.2 (39)
3rd Down Conversion %: 34.78 (22)
4th Down Conversion %: 47.06 (51)
Red Zone Scoring %: 82.05 (56)

Rush Play %: 54.20 (89)
Yards Per Carry: 4.5 (85)
Runs Per Game: 37.1 (65)

Pass Play %: 45.80 (42)
Completion %: 55.98 (13)
Yards Per Pass: 6.5 (18)
Passes Per Game: 28.6 (32)
Interception %: 2.33 (77)
QB Sack %: 8.78 (17)

2021 Team Advanced Stats

F+: 0.68 (34)
FEI: 0.33 (36)
SP+: 11.0 (30)
OF+: 0.58 (39)
DF+: 0.69 (30)
PFF: 5.9 (25)

Florida Gators Team Breakdown

The Florida Gators are helmed by new head coach Billy Napier. Napier will be tested in his opener at the swamp, but his NFL-style offense can be effective against a superior opponent. The Gators will look to use their strong offensive line and deep running back room to move the ball effectively and make the Utes’ linebackers run and chase. Anthony Richardson is unlike any quarterback Napier has ever had, so expect more creativity with the position than he has previously shown.

On the defensive side of the ball, a lack of depth up front will have to be made up for with the star power of Gervon Dexter and Brenton Cox Jr. The Gators do have experience in the secondary, and that group should be talented. Linebacker remains a question, as those with experience lack athleticism, and those with athleticism lack experience.