Florida Gators Upset No. 7 Utah Utes Behind Richardson's Three TDs

The Billy Napier era of Florida Gators football is off to a thrilling start.

Photo: Anthony Richardson; Credit: Alex Shepherd 

The Billy Napier era of Florida football is off to as hot of a start as it possibly could be.

The Gators (1-0) thrillingly pulled off an upset in The Swamp on Saturday evening, defeating the No. 7 Utah Utes (0-1) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Napier's first matchup as UF's head coach.

The first half of the contest was an intense back-and-forth, featuring three lead changes with Florida out in front at halftime after a 45-yard touchdown scamper from quarterback and X-Factor Anthony Richardson. It marked his second rushing score of the night, setting a career-high in that department less than 30 minutes into his tenure as UF's full-time starting signal-caller. 

The Gators' offense was able to move the ball with relative ease in the first half as Richardson completed 10-of-13 passes for 101 yards while four rushers, including Richardson, tallied a combined 150 yards on the ground.

However, the unit struggled to get into a position to put points on the board consistently, desperately needing Richardson's 45-yard scramble to remain in the game. It only operated within the redzone once across UF's five first-half drives.

The lack of scores seemed to haunt the Gators as Utah's offense started to pick up momentum on the ground. 

Florida's run defense began to fall apart in the second-half, tested by the physicality of what Napier previously deemed a "well-designed rushing attack." After allowing just 59 yards on 14 attempts in the first half, the Utes' four-man ground-game, led by All-Pac-12 running back Tavion Thomas and including quarterback Cameron Rising, finished with 229 yards on 39 attempts.

Richardson and the Gators' offense, however, found a way to match the Utes' momentum. UF successfully answered to both of Utah's second-half touchdowns, first on a 14-yard rush by Montrell Johnson followed by Richardson's third rushing score of the evening, from one-yard out with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter.

Richardson followed Johnson's touchdown with one of the more electric two-point conversions you'll ever see, spinning out of a sack mid-pump-fake before finding a wide-open Ja'Quavion Fraziars in the endzone.

It’s Anthony Richardson’s world and we’re just living in it 🔥

The #Gators QB has been in sensational form, showcasing his skillset to the fullest and starting his #NFLDraft ascension in the best possible way so far against Utah

pic.twitter.com/fk7Csw4WCp

— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) September 4, 2022

The Utes' final drive, down three with 1:25 remaining, crept all the way to Florida's six-yard line. Rising broke off on a 28-yard rush on 3rd and 6 to line Utah up in the redzone, and a few more snaps put the Utes in scoring position.

Then linebacker Amari Burney sealed the deal with an interception in the endzone, calling the game with 17 seconds left in regulation. 

UF pulled off the feat in front of the largest season-opening crowd, and 10th-largest attendance, in school history, with 90,799 Florida fans in the stands according to the program.

The Gators will be back in The Swamp in Week 2, set to host the Kentucky Wildcats at 7 P.M. ET on Saturday, Sept, 10.

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