3 takeaways from Utah’s season-opening win over Florida

The 2023 college football season has arrived, and the No. 14-ranked Utah Utes really couldn’t have asked for a better start.

Utah defeated Florida 24-11 Thursday night in Salt Lake City, handily outplaying the visiting Gators.

The Utes were impressive early — in all three facets of the game — before tailing off late, causing head coach Kyle Whittingham to note postgame that, “We didn’t play very well.”

Still, Utah did what was need to improve to 1-0 and secure a much-wanted victory over Florida.

Here are three takeaways from the Utes’ win.

The return of Sack Lake City

Utah has been known for years for its strong defensive line play, although the Utes’ defensive front was up-and-down a season ago, in large part due to the prevalence of youth.

If the performance against the Gators is any indication, however, Utah’s defensive front has grown up and may be elite once more.

The Utes were dominant in the trenches against the Gators’ vaunted rushing attack — running backs Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne were expected to be Florida’s chief offensive weapons — and in terms of getting to the quarterback.

Florida rushed for only 13 yards against Utah on 21 carries — counting sack totals —numbers that don’t really do Utah justice considering the Gators trailed by three touchdowns early in the third quarter and largely turned to the passing game in an attempt to get back in the contest.

Where Utah was most impressive though was in getting to Florida quarterback Graham Mertz. The Utes finished with five sacks and seven tackles for loss and had Mertz miserable much of the night.

It wasn’t one dominant Utah player, but a balanced effort, with defensive end Jonah Elliss (two sacks and a game-sealing batted ball), defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa (one sack), defensive end Logan Fano (one sack) and defensive end Van Fillinger (a tackle for loss) all making key plays in Florida’s backfield.

Bryson Barnes not a game manager

Barnes started at quarterback for Cam Rising, the latter still recovering from ACL surgery, and many expected Utah would play conservatively with the second string quarterback at the helm.

Those expectations were largely misplaced, however, as Barnes proved more than capable of running the Utes’ offense, showcasing his passing ability in the process.

Barnes started things off with a 70-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Money Parks — literally, on the first offensive play of the game for Utah — but he was also solid from then on, even rushing for a touchdown.

Barnes finished the game having completed 12 of 18 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown.

Making Barnes’ showing all the more impressive was that he was in and out of the action as Utah turned to third-string quarterback Nate Johnson on multiple series.

Johnson flashed his potential, particularly on the ground, with a 27-yard touchdown run, but Barnes proved to be the steady and capable signal caller Utah needed.

Special teams becoming special again?

Utah was once known for its elite special teams, not that long ago even, but the unit hasn’t been nearly as reliable or impactful in recent seasons.

Against Florida, though, Utah showed some glimpses that elite special teams play might be making a comeback in Salt Lake City.

Punter Jack Bouwmeester was the standout, punting the ball six times and averaging 51.8 yards per punt, with a long of 64 yards.

Most impressively, Bouwmeester pinned Florida inside the 20 yard line three times, which in turn gave Utah better field position most of the night.

Kicker Cole Becker had his moments too, namely with a 51-yard made field goal, though he missed wide left on a 55-yard try midway through the fourth quarter.