Know Your Foe: Two question marks for Utah heading into 2022

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — There is a new era beginning for the Florida Gators‘ football program. The Billy Napier era will officially begin on September 3, as the Gators host the No. 7 Utah Utes.

Utah finished the 2021 campaign as the Pac-12 Champions. Kyle Whittingham’s team finished the regular season with a 9-3 record. They beat Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game and fell just three points short of beating Ohio State in the Rose Bowl to finish 10-4.

Whittingham has a small connection to UF. He took over the head coaching job at Utah in 2005, replacing Urban Meyer. Meyer, of course, left Utah to accept the head coaching job at Florida and went on to win two National Championships in Gainesville.

The Gators don’t have a coach entering his 18th season at the helm, like Whittingham at Utah. Billy Napier was hired 276 days before the game will kick off. There are much easier ways to begin your tenure, something Napier jokingly acknowledged at SEC Media Days.

“I really believe that having a formidable opponent in the opener is healthy for your team. As much as you want to think our team is not going to be affected by who they play or where they play, I do think we got a little bit of that human nature in it and I think our staff and team has so much respect for coach Wittingham and that Utah program and the consistency with which they perform,” Napier said at SEC Media Days. “They certainly had a heck of a team last year. They got a good group coming back and we’re excited about the thing that comes with it and I think it’s healthy for our team to have that out there that we have a top-10 team and the Pac-12 Champion coming into the Swamp so I think it’s healthy for our team.”

With that in mind, Gators Online reached out to Josh Newman of The Salt Lake Tribune. Newman has covered the Utes since 2019 and knows the team inside and out. He graciously answered our questions so that Gator fans can better know their opponent on September 3.

Part 1: Utah’s age and experience

Part 2: Who is Utah’s quarterback, Camerson Rising?

Part 3: Utah bringing a revamped passing attack to Gainesville

Part 4: Utah’s rushing attack vs the Gators’ defense

Two big question marks for Utah

Q: What is one of the biggest question marks you have for the Utes on each side of the ball?

Josh Newman: The biggest question mark to me on offense is receiver. We already covered, so in an effort to not be redundant, let’s say the offensive line. That unit has a history at Utah of starting out slowly. The problem there is, the opener is Florida, not an FCS or G5 team. So, if they start out slow, it’s going to be a major issue. Three of five offensive linemen from last season are back. Even as there were some minor position battles and position shuffling during camp. The good news is that the with guys Whittingham and offensive line coach Jim Harding will roll with at Florida are almost all veteran guys with some level of game experience.

Defensively, the clear answer is linebacker. Devin Lloyd and Nephi Sewell are gone to the NFL after acting as unquestioned veteran leaders at the position. You don’t just replace those guys, especially with what Lloyd did in 2021, but among the various defensive positions, LB might be the deepest, most-talented group. 

Our Take

An offensive line that takes some time to gel and get it going? That should be music to the Gators’ ears. Florida should have a formidable pass rush this season with Brenton Cox, Princely Umanielen, Tyreak Sapp, Lloyd Summerall, and Antwuan Powell. If Utah comes out trying to throw the ball, these guys should make that difficult. Also, Florida’s strength, especially early on will be running the ball. Can Utah’s linebackers bring down the bevy of Florida backs and Anthony Richardson?