Five things to watch for when Florida takes on Utah in Week 1
Another season of Florida Gators football is set to begin, and there’s as much hope as there is uneasiness among the fan base heading into Week 1 of 2023.
The first year of the Billy Napier era didn’t produce a winning season, but it did help establish a foundation for the program’s future. Florida fans can be impatient, though, and perhaps rightfully so. This is the SEC after all.
Winning is all that matters.
To win Thursday against Utah, Florida must do a lot right and get a bit lucky. Utah’s offense is banged up and possibly vulnerable, but the defense returns a good amount of talent and should be tough against Florida’s biggest strength — the run.
Each week Gators Wire will highlight five aspects of Florida’s game that fans should focus on. Here’s what we’re looking for in Week 1.
Is Graham Mertz legit?
Graham Mertz didn’t put up stellar numbers at Wisconsin, but he’s getting a fresh start in the SEC with the Gators and all eyes will be on him Thursday. Being an SEC quarterback is an honor, and Mertz will be judged harshly by the public in his first contest in the Orange and Blue.
He doesn’t need to light the world on fire. Mertz just needs to limit turnovers and take advantage of the defense once the run is established. He doesn’t need to pump fake or scramble like Anthony Richardson did. Coaches and fans will be more than happy if he manages the game and wins it.
If Mertz can get 200 yards and protect the ball, it’s a successful first outing.
Who will get the most snaps at running back?
Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne combined for 1,560 yards and 16 touchdowns a season ago. Johnson led the way with 155 carries to Etienne’s 118, but the latter was a true freshman working his way into a rotation that featured Nay’Quan Wright and a running quarterback.
Etienne could be the lead back by the end of the year, and Napier has been known to reward the hot hand. This will be one we watch for a few weeks before revisiting, but the count starts now.
Which one of the rookies will step up?
Florida’s freshmen class should make an impact fairly quickly in 2023, but which player will step into a major role first? Jordan Castell is getting the start at safety, which makes him a safe bet, but the trio of receivers that joined the roster could also be a group to watch.
Andy Jean and Aidan Mizell are both extremely talented, but it’s Eugene “Tre” Wilson who’s received the most hype coming out of fall camp. Kahleil Jackson is the listed third starter at receiver, but Wilson could get some work out of the slot this week.
Is the defense any better than the past two seasons?
It’s hard to sugarcoat how bad Florida’s defense has been over the past few years, but this year’s group has a chance to change the narrative surrounding the team. An injection of young, Napier-scouted talent is taking over, and the Mullen-era guys that are still there have fully bought into the new culture.
Hopefully, this is the year things turn around.
Total yards isn’t a great metric to grade the defense with, but for the purposes of this, let’s say we’re looking for 350 yards or less and to win the turnover battle.
Has Billy Napier's clock management improved?
One of the major criticisms Billy Napier faced in 2022 was clock management. With so much on his plate as the head coach, Napier seemed to make the wrong call at the end of the half a bit too often as a first-year SEC coach.
Napier pointed to analytics and gave reasoning for his decisions, but hindsight is always going to be 20-20 and a loss in the record books is going to make fans overanalyze mistakes. The truth almost certainly lies somewhere in the middle, but things have to improve in 2023.
Florida came out on the wrong end of too many late-in-the-half, close-game scenarios last season. Hopefully, a year of experience will help Naper make quicker and better calls in crucial moments.
Read more
Dooley’s Dozen: 12 things you need to know about the Utah Utes
Five Utah Utes every Gators fan should know Florida in Week 1
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