‘Tired of talking’: Gators out to prove they're a different team in 2022

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A new era of Florida football officially kicks off Saturday in The Swamp as the Gators open their 2022 season against No. 7 Utah. 

First-year coach Billy Napier makes his UF debut after leading Louisiana to back-to-back Sun Belt titles and a 40-12 record in four years. He brought his blueprint — and army — to Gainesville, and Phase 7 begins tonight. 

“This is our first opportunity as a team and certainly this new organization,” Napier said this week. “I think we all understand the emotion and excitement that comes with this game. We’re not going to have a problem with that, our players. This is a competitive group. They like competition. We’ve been beating up on each other for a long time.” 

Florida defensive back Tre’Vez Johnson is sick of tackling teammates. 

“Now we get a chance to do it against somebody else,” he said. 

Saturday will be the first look at Florida’s new defense under co-coordinators Patrick Toney and Sean Spencer, as well as the unveiling of Napier’s offensive scheme, led by quarterback Anthony Richardson. 

Hometown kid starts for Gators

A Gainesville product, Richardson is making his first start in the stadium he grew up dreaming to play in. He has appeared in seven games at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field, but this one will be different. 

“It’s a big deal for me and my family,” said Richardson, who gave out 14 tickets for the opener. “I feel like me being from Gainesville, growing up here and being a starting quarterback means a lot to everyone. It puts a lot on me, but I’m totally fine with that, because I get to show people what I can do and I can show people how it’s supposed to be done. So, I’m glad I have the opportunity.”

Richardson’s supporting cast includes six returning starters and a few impact transfers, most notably second-team AP preseason All-American selection O’Cyrus Torrence. Nay’Quan Wright is back from injury to lead the rushing attack with transfer Montrell Johnson, while former ASU wideout Ricky Pearsall should bolster Florida’s receiving corps with what he brings to the slot position. 

But it all starts with Richardson on offense, and the Gators need a big game from him to pull off the win. Napier is looking forward to seeing how he performs, and still remembers watching Richardson play in the 2020 Cotton Bowl.

“He goes in the game and I was like, ‘Wow, that guy’s got a bright future.’ He made a few plays in that game that I thought were pretty special,” Napier recalled. “I think he’s learning how to be a big-time quarterback. He’s getting comfortable with his role. Very impressed with some of the growth from a leadership standpoint. Guy’s a great competitor. He’s been dreaming of this opportunity and he’s excited about it. I can’t wait to watch the guy play.”

Napier placing premium on physicality

Defensively, one of the biggest question marks in this matchup is whether Florida will be able to stop Utah’s ground game. The Utes return top tailback Tavion Thomas, who rushed for 1,108 yards and a single-season school record 21 touchdowns last year. He led a rushing offense that finished the 2021 season ranked No. 13 nationally.

Utah plays a tough brand of football and Florida will have to match that physicality on defense, especially in the front seven with Gervon Dexter, Brenton Cox Jr. and Ventrell Miller. 

“I think the old adage, you can’t train soft and play hard. I think we’ve got a certain expectation and a brand of football that we want to play,” Napier said. “That requires us to practice a certain way. We work hard to develop a team that can be physical.

“It’s one of the things I’m really proud of our team. We’ve improved in that area. We can have a really good, physical, competitive practice. People aren’t on the ground. We can get out of there healthy and improve. That’s taking some time, but we certainly did that well this week.”

Missed tackles were a major issue for the Gators last season, but Johnson echoed Napier’s comments and is confident they will be better at tackling. He added that Miller returning from season-ending injury will make a difference. 

“Very confident. They’ve got to get it,” he said. “We work on tackling every day. In every aspect of the game we’ve improved, especially on defense and on the offensive side. Me being a defensive player, I can speak for the defense and say we’ve improved a lot, especially having 51 back out there. We’ll be ready.

“We’re tired of talking about it at this point. It’s here. We’ve just got to execute. It’s not about what everybody else thinks. At the end of the day, we’ve got to put the ball down and play. We’ve got to prove it. This is not the same team as last year. It’s a whole different team from last year.”

The Gators haven’t been an underdog in a season opener since 1969, when they also hosted the nation’s No. 7 team in Houston. An unranked Florida squad won that contest in convincing fashion, 59-34. 

This game won’t feature that many points, but can history repeat itself? 

“They have to come to The Swamp and play us,” Richardson said. “A lot of people doubted us. People are still doubting us. But I think guys on the team, especially on the offense, feel like they didn’t really get to showcase who they were last year. So, I think they have chips on their shoulders just to prove what they can do.”