This was an exciting nail biter all the way and with 17 seconds left on a 2nd and goal from the Florida 6 yard line and trailing 29-26 it looked as though Head Coach Kyle Whittingham and the Utes were going to pull off the win in front of 90,799 at the Swamp in Gainsville, Florida—tenth highest attendance in school history. At the very least it was going to go into overtime. But a fifth year linebacker came up big, intercepting QB Cam Rising’s pass and giving new Florida head coach Billy Napier a victory at home in his debut game. Wow-it was a killer. I mean this game was tied 7-7 at the end of the 1st Qtr with only 1 point separating the teams at the half with Florida up 14-13. It looked like Utah was going to take charge after the break holding the Gators scoreless in the 3rd Qtr while picking up another TD of their own to go up 19-14 at the end of three quarters.
Utah was able to quiet the crowd from the get-go when Jonah Eliss forced Gator RB Montrell Johnson Jr. to fumble on their sixth play from scrimmage in their very first possession. The ball was picked up by Utah’s R. J. Hubert and returned for 47 yards which set up that first TD and 7-0 lead. But here in the 4th Qtr and trailing by just five points, Florida came back with a TD and 2 point conversion to go up by three points, 22-19, at the end of an 8 play 75 yard drive on a Montrell Johnson Jr. run of 14 yards and an Anthony Richardson pass in the end zone for two. Utah came right back with an 11 play, 73 yard, six plus minute drive culminating in a 4 yard Tavion Thomas scamper into the end zone to go up 26-22 with 6:26 left to play. But here comes the Gators again on a 14 play, 75 yard dirve that eats up five minutes of clock and culminates in a 1 yard Anthony Richardson drive that pushes Florida back in front 29-26 leaving just 1:19 left, after the Gator 65 yard kick-off, for Utah to move the ball downfield from their own 25 yard line and find a way to at least tie the game. They did much better than that until it came crashing down with 17 seconds left on a 2nd and goal from the Florida 6. Wow-that excitement and those emotions are everything I love about college football!.
You can look at the stats and see just how close this game was. Utah led by only two in first downs 25-23; they converted 8-of-13 third down plays while the Gators were successful 7-of-12 times; Florida outpaced them in total yards by a mere 5, 451 to 446. Utah had the ball longer and were penalized less, but in the end it was a single fatal mistake that did them in. I came away from watching that game feeling that Utah didn’t get beat in the Swamp, they lost by going for the win on the road instead of sending the game into OT in a hostile environment. It was the right call and you have to admire Whittingham for coaching a hell of a game in SEC territory.
Junor QB Cameron Rising had a good day for Utah connecting on 22-of-32 for 216 yards and 1 TD in addition to rushing 7 times for 91 more. Junior RB Tavion Thomas carried most of the load for the Utes on the ground rushing 23 times for 115 yards and 1 TD. But kudos to versatile Florida Gator QB Sophomore Anthony Richardson who completed 17-of-24 for 168 yards in the air while also rushing 11 times for 106 yards and 3 TD’s, accounting for 60% of Florida’s total yards on the day. Maybe he’ll be christened the next “Greatest Show on Turf.” Whittingham had this to say about the talented QB; “He’s going to get his (NFL payday). He’s 6-4, 230 and runs like a 4.3. He’s a terrific player.” The AP “Takeaway” for Utah was this: “The defending Pac-12 champions showed resiliency on the road, battling back to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Despite the loss, the Utes have enough talent and experience to be a factor in the chase for the College Football Playoff.”