THE STORYLINE: Utah at Florida by the Numbers
THE STORYLINE: Utah at Florida
• This is the second-ever meeting between Florida and Utah and the first since UF’s 38-29 home victory on Nov. 19, 1977.
• While new UF HC Billy Napier will be making his Gators coaching debut, Utah HC Kyle Whittingham is entering his 18th season with 214 games under his belt with the Utes. Napier is looking to become the first UF HC to beat a ranked team in his first game as head coach. Whittingham is the longest-tenured HC in the Pac-12 and the second-longest at the same school in the FBS.
• Since 1978, UF has never been an underdog in a home opener. UF has been an underdog 28 total times in The Swamp in that span.
• The last time Florida was an underdog in a season opener in The Swamp was on Sept. 20, 1969 vs. No. 7 Houston. Unranked Florida won that contest in convincing fashion, 59-34, and went on to finish 9-1-1 with a Gator Bowl victory over SEC Champion Tennessee.
• This is the third time in program history that Florida is opening the season in The Swamp against a ranked opponent. No. 7 Utah is tied for Florida’s highest-ranked opening-week opponent ever (1969: No. 7 Houston). Florida has won both of its previous season openers against ranked opponents in The Swamp. Florida 59, No. 7 Houston 34 (Sept. 20, 1969); No. 16 Florida 17, No. 15 Miami 14 (Sept. 4, 1982)
• UF owns the longest-active home-opener win streak in the FBS with 32-straight wins (last loss, 1989: 24-19 vs. Ole Miss), losing just one season opener (2017 - No. 11 Michigan 33, No. 17 Florida 17 - Arlington, Tex.) since 1990. This is UF’s fourth time playing a ranked opponent in a HOME opener (1982, 1969 & 1953 - Florida 0, No. 3 Georgia Tech 0
• Florida boasts a 350-111-13 (.752) all-time record at The Swamp, holding the second-highest home winning percent- age in the nation since 1990 with a 169-32 (.841) record. The Gators have outscored opponents, 7,603 to 3,204 in 201 games inside The Swamp, putting the average outcome at 37.8 to 15.9 (21.9 points)
• Florida’s 2022 opponents went a combined 87-68 (.561) last year, which is .99 points higher than one year ago, when Florida’s 2021 schedule posted a .462 winning percentage the year prior. This is despite having two 2022 opponents that went 2-10 in 2021 in USF and Vanderbilt. UF has four opponents coming off 10-win seasons (Utah, Kentucky, EWU, Georgia) while nine went bowling.
• Florida averaged 5.5 yards per rush attempt in 2021, which was the fourth-highest mark in program history.
• The Gators finished the 2021 season with 462.8 yards per game, which ranked sixth in school history.
• UF concluded the campaign with 208.7 rushing yards per game, which was the 11th-highest mark in program history.
• The Gators ranked fourth in the FBS with 5.5 rushing yards per carry last season.
• The 2021 Gasparilla Bowl represented Florida’s 47th all-time bowl appearance and fourth in as many seasons, as well as the program’s seventh bowl berth in the last-eight campaigns.
• Florida has scored in 423-consecutive games dating back to 1988 -- an NCAA record and 56 games longer than any
THE GAME: Who is Utah?
The No. 7 University of Utah Utes (0-0) will kick off the 2022 season in The Swamp, taking on the Florida Gators on Saturday, Sept. 3. The game is set for a 5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET kick inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on ESPN.
NON-CONFERENCE NOTE Utah is 27-3 in regular season non-conference games since joining the Pac-12 in 2011 and is 33-8 since 2011 in non-conference games (including post-season). Utah’s game against Florida on Saturday will be the first time the Utes have faced an SEC opponent since the Utes’ historic Sugar Bowl win over Alabama (31-17) in 2009.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Saturday’s game will be just the second-ever meeting between Utah and Florida.
• Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham is 75-54 all-time against current Power Five teams.
• The Utes have five players from the state of Florida with the last time the program playing in the state being their trip to Gainesville in 1977.
• Utah returns 17 starters from the 2021 season.
• Saturday’s game vs. Florida will mark Whittingham’s 215th game at the helm.
NEED TO KNOW
• Utah is 77-50-1 all-time in season openers with just two season-opening losses in the last 15 seasons.
• Utah ranks No. 7 in the Preseason AP Poll, the highest preseason ranking in program history. The Utes have either been ranked or received votes in the last eight AP preseason polls, also finishing the year ranked or receiving votes in five of those years.
• Utah has eight consecutive years of winning seasons, dating back to 2014. The Utes have finished with a winning season in 15 of Whittingham’s 17 years as head coach.
• Utah was picked to finish first in the Pac-12 in the preseason poll, receiving 26 first-place votes.
• The Utes have won the Pac-12 South Title four times (2021, 2019, 2018, shared title in 2015), including three in the last four seasons, winning the championship game in 2021.
• The Utes had 13 student-athletes earn preseason All-Pac-12, tying for a league-high six first-team selections in Cole Bishop (S), Braeden Daniels (OL), Van Fillinger (DE), Brant Kuithe (TE), Clark Phillips III (CB) and Tavion Thomas (RB).
• Utah finished the 2021 season ranked in the top-three of the Pac-12 in 16 statistical categories, leading the league in first downs, rushing offense and defense, team sacks and tackles for loss and time of possession.
• Utah has sold out Rice-Eccles Stadium in 70 consecutive games, dating back to the 2010 season opener. Utah increased its stadium capacity from 45,807 to 51,444 with the expansion of the Ken Garff Red Zone in 2021