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Florida football upset No. 8 Utah 29-26 before a raucous, sold-out atmosphere of 90,777 at The Swamp on Saturday night in head coach Billy Napier’s debut.
Napier became the first Florida coach in program history to beat a ranked team in his coaching debut. Florida also extended its nation-best win streak in home openers to 33 straight games.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson rushed for three touchdowns, including a go-ahead, 2-yard TD run with 1:25 left to put the Gators up 29-26. Then, linebacker Amari Burney sealed the win with Florida’s only turnover of the game, a pick in the end zone in the closing seconds to hold off a late drive by Utah quarterback Cameron Rising.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
There were questions about how Richardson would handle his second career start, and first in The Swamp, against a high-level opponent like Utah. Richardson stayed within himself while making plays, showing both the speed, arm strength and athleticism that have NFL scouts drooling about his pro potential. Richardson scored on two first-half touchdown runs, including a 45-yard scramble late in the second quarter that gave the Gators a 14-13 lead and sent the fans into a frenzy.
