Top Plays: Watch the best moments from Florida's win over Utah
The Gators opened their 2022 season with an instant classic Saturday night in The Swamp, upsetting No. 7 Utah 29-26 in a thrilling back-and-forth game. Billy Napier became the first Florida football coach to defeat a ranked opponent in his debut.
In first career start at home, Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson had a three-touchdown rushing performance, including the game-winning score late in the fourth. UF linebacker Amari Burney clinching it on the ensuing possession with a diving end-zone interception.
Richardson led the Gators in rushing with 106 yards rushing on 11 carries and threw for a career-high 168 yards on 17-of-24 passing, as well as his incredible two-point conversion.
That came after a 14-yard touchdown run by Montrell Johnson, who had 75 yards on 12 carries in his first game as a Gator. True freshman Trevor Etienne rushed for 64 yards on just five carries, while Nay’Quan Wright ran the ball 10 times for 39 yards.
Ricky Pearsall had a team-high 67 receiving yards on four catches and Xzavier Henderson led the Gators in receptions with six for 41 yards. Justin Shorter also caught two passes for 25 yards.
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Safety Trey Dean III (12) and outside linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. (10) both posted double-dight tackles, followed by linebacker Ventrell Miller with nine tackles. In his first game from season-ending injury last year, Miller made several keys stops for the Gators on defense.
Watch the best moments from the Florida’s win over Utah with nearly five-minute recap from UF Athletics.
Highlights from the Gators’ win over Utah:
Billy Napier on Florida’s season opener:
“Pretty good football there, huh? I just want to thank our fans for coming out. That was our 10th-largest crowd in the history of the school. We said at the beginning that it was going to take a team effort to get this done, to build and create momentum, to create positive energy on the outside. And they made a difference tonight. They impacted the game. The University of Florida is a special place, and these people come back because of the way it impacted them, the memories they had here and how it influenced their lives. And some of those memories are football games in The Swamp. We’re very thankful for our fans showing up. They contributed to our team.”
