Florida kicked off the Billy Napier era in dramatic fashion Saturday night, earning a huge upset win over No. 7 Utah at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
After quarterback Anthony Richardson scored with 1:24 remaining in regulation, the Gators defense took the field looking to maintain a narrow 29–26 lead while trying to contain a formidable Utes offense led by junior QB Cameron Rising. Utah marched on a 69-yard drive down to the Florida 6-yard line to set up a potential game-tying field goal with 22 seconds to go.
Instead, the Utes decided to go for the win and, after tossing an incomplete pass on 1st-and-goal, Rising ended up getting picked off on the next play by Gators senior linebacker Amari Burney on an attempt to tight end Dalton Kincaid in the end zone. Burney’s leaping grab sent The Swamp into a frenzy as the team celebrated the stunning turn of events.
The back-and-forth contest nearly slipped out of the Gators’s grasp after they squandered a 14–13 halftime lead. A Utah turnover on downs followed by a Florida punt opened the action in the third quarter before the teams traded TDs on the next four possessions, setting the stage for the Gators defense to eventually save the day.
Rising finished the night with 216 yards, one TD and an INT, and seven carries for 91 yards. Richardson, meanwhile, ended with 168 passing yards, and 11 carries for 106 yards and three scores.
With the season opener now in the books, Napier, who replaced Dan Mullen in November, has already given Gators fans something to cheer about after he became the first coach in school history to beat a ranked opponent in Week 1. The win also extended the program’s home-opener winning streak to 33 games.
Florida will next take the field on Sept. 10 against Kentucky in an early-season battle of SEC rivals.
