#14 Utah Football Defense Stifles Florida in 24-11 Win

Game Recap: Football | 8/31/2023 10:38 PM

Story Links SALT LAKE CITY – Defense was the name of the game tonight in Rice-Eccles Stadium as the No. 14 University of Utah Football team beat the Florida Gators, 24-11 in front of a stadium-record 53,644 fans to start the season 1-0.

Utah's defense held the Gators to just 13 yards rushing while also keeping them to 1-of-13 on third down conversions and 2-of-5 on fourth downs. The Gators were only able to muster 0.6 yards per rush with Utah coming away with 5.0 sacks, 7.0 tackles for loss and an interception in the game.

The Utes produced 270 yards of offense against Florida, including 165 through the air and 105 rushing with zero turnovers. They averaged 5.1 yards per play, including 11.0 yards per completion.

The Utes are now 30-4 in regular season non-conference games since joining the Pac-12 and are 13-1 in season openers in the Kyle Whittingham era.

GAME LEADERS The dynamic duo of Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson split duties at quarterback with Barnes going 12-of-18 passing for 159 yards and a touchdown, adding three rushes for 11 yards and a five-yard rushing score. Johnson also found his way into the end zone with his six-carry, 45 rushing yards performance along with going 3-of-4 passing for six yards.

Running back Micah Bernard had a team-high seven carries for 45 yards with wide receiver Money Parks leading the team in receiving yards on just one catch for 70 yards. True freshman wide receiver Mikey Matthews also had his first taste of college football against the Gators with a team-best four receptions for 34 yards.

On defense, safety Cole Bishop led the way with 11 tackles (1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack) and a forced fumble while newcomer linebacker Levani Damuni and cornerback JaTravis Broughton finished with eight tackles each. Linebacker Sione Fotu also contributed seven stops with Jonah Elliss dominating from the edge with four tackles and a career-high two sacks.

From the special teams side of the game, punter Jack Bouwmeester was on point from start to finish, recording six punts for 311 yards, averaging 51.8 yards per punt. Three of his six punts were for 50 yards or longer with three also landing inside the 20-yard line.

Newcomer kicker Cole Becker was also solid in his debut for the Utes, hitting a 51-yard field goal while also going 3-of-3 on PATs.

FIRST QUARTER BREAKDOWN Both sides of the ball were firing on all cylinders to start the game with the defense forcing a quick three-and-out, giving Utah the ball on its own 30-yard line with 13:21 on the clock. In just one play, Barnes connected with Parks for 70 yards to the end zone, sending a message to put Utah up 7-0 early.

The Utah defense continued to keep the Gators under wraps, stopping Florida on a third-and-12 to force a 32-yard field goal to keep the 7-3 lead with 2:27 to go. Despite only finding the end zone once in the first quarter, the Utes were able to average 10.9 yards per play through the first 15 minutes of the game.

SECOND QUARTER BREAKDOWN The Utes continued to keep the Gators out of the end zone in the second quarter with Florida missing a field goal with 13:35 on the clock, giving Utah back the ball on its own 20-yard line. Utah would put together a 10-play, 80-yard drive led by Johnson who finished things off with a dazzling 27-yard rushing touchdown that showed off his speed and agility all the way to the end zone for a 14-3 advantage.

After the Gators punted on a fourth-and-22 forced by a huge 12-yard sack by Bishop, the Utes took over on the Florida 46-yard line with 5:49 left in the half. After struggling to get some rhythm going on offense again, it was time for special teams to step up and step in with Becker knocking in a 51-yard field goal to make it 17-3 heading into halftime.

Despite giving up 109 passing yards in the first quarter, the Utes held the Gators to just eight total yards in the second quarter. Utah finished with 132 total yards in the first half, including 159 through the air.

THIRD QUARTER BREAKDOWN After Sione Vaki tipped a pass and intercepted the ball, Utah once again took over in Gator territory, putting the Utes on the Florida 11-yard line with 12:12 on the clock. After two rushing plays landed the Utes on the five-yard line, Barnes took advantage of a broken play and rushed in for a five-yard score, giving Utah a 24-3 lead.

FOURTH QUARTER BREAKDOWN The Utes were able to keep the Gators scoreless during the second and third quarters with Florida eventually finding the end zone with 9:22 left in the game, cutting the Utah lead to 24-11 on a 19-yard receiving touchdown and a two-point conversion.

Florida's touchdown would be the final of the game, with Utah claiming its first win of the season with the 13-point victory.

UP NEXT Utah will take on the Baylor Bears on the road on Saturday, Sept. 9 in Waco, Texas. The game is set for a 10 a.m. MT kick on ESPN.