The college football atmosphere in Utah looks a lot like the one I grew up with in Florida. I rooted for the Gators because my dad went to school at UF. But we lived in Miami, the heart of Hurricanes territory, and just like there were plenty of Gators fans there, Florida State fans were numerous, too.
This constant clash of rivalries created grade school tribalism that none of us fully understood then, but those allegiances, bestowed on most of us at birth, nevertheless endured. They shaped our identities. They were dividing lines — but in a way that made friendships more fun, more interesting. Showing up to school the week after a Florida-Miami game, or a Florida-Florida State game, meant either hunting down my rival friends to rub in the victory, or hiding from them to avoid barbs about the loss.
It was the best of fandom — and, sometimes, the worst, if someone got too carried away. But mostly, it was just fun.
I moved to Utah to work at the Deseret News in 2019, and during my time here, I’ve noticed a similar dynamic among fans of Utah, BYU and, to a lesser extent, Utah State (sorry Aggies fans, but you’re not the Seminoles). At its highest levels, football in Utah may not be the near-religious experience it is in Florida and the rest of the Southland, but it stimulates the same kinds of conversations; exacerbates and irritates petty rivalries; makes adversaries, for just a few hours one Saturday per year, of people who are otherwise friends.
I learned that, at least in part, from my colleague Thomas Houser, our human resources director. Thomas is a season ticket-holding Utes fan, and back when the Utes played BYU in 2019 and everyone was still coming into the office every day, he organized a college sports day, where employees could rep their college colors at work.
I was so far from home that one editor asked me whether my orange-and-blue tie alluded to Boise State, but the whole thing still felt familiar. The pageantry. The loyalty. The attachment and the trivial bickering between folks wearing opposite colors. It felt like what I most loved about college football.
Thomas and I often fall on opposite ends of our fandoms; aside from being rivals for Florida-Utah, my wife is pursuing her Ph.D. at BYU, so I also root for the Cougars. But in any case, we’ve talked about college football often over the years — especially last year, when he followed the Utes to Gainesville for the season opener and I offered advice on places to visit.
This year, he helped me secure five tickets for the game at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Back in college, I covered the Gators as a reporter for the Independent Florida Alligator rather than a fan. But now that I’m five years removed and no longer write (much) about sports, I enjoy rooting for the Gators.
Thomas, meanwhile, is a Utah man through and through. So we thought it would be fun to answer some questions about what we’re looking for Thursday night, from our opposing fan perspectives — just as fans of college football across America are prone to do.
What are the strengths you see in your team to start the season?
Thomas: Winning 43 games in the last five seasons has led to increased success in recruiting, and now Kyle Whittingham says that this is one of his most talented teams ever.
As a fan, I know that the backbone of every team at the U. is the defense, and its ability to stop the run and play assignment-sound football. Last year against Florida, I was in awe watching Anthony Richardson (fourth overall NFL draft pick) make plays and run around as one of the best athletes on the field. It was a joy to watch as a college football fan, and a horror as a Utah football fan.
This season, I see an experienced defense returning and playing at home, against a team that is very talented, but unfamiliar with traveling multiple time zones for road games to start the season. I believe Utah’s defense will improve from ending the 2022 season as the 27th best defense in the country. They lost a few players in the secondary, but overall defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley is comfortable with the players they’ll field.
I see the opener for both teams producing a defensive battle, where the team that gets over 21 points is likely the winner.
It also sounds like there has been an emphasis on being ready to tackle (a huge problem in 2022’s season opener), and without Richardson, the QB position seems less problematic.
Ethan: The obvious answer here is Florida’s running backs. The team returns a two-headed beast in junior Montrell Johnson, who led last year’s team with 841 yards and 10 touchdowns, and sophomore Travis Etienne, who was named to the SEC’s all-freshman team. The Gators also added four-star recruit Treyaun Webb, and given that Etienne played often as a freshman, Webb could also contribute early.
But a running game can only go as far as its offensive line, and Florida’s is something of a question mark. Last year’s unit was very good, anchored by Buffalo Bills second-round pick O’Cyrus Torrence and left tackle Richard Gouraige, who also signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent. This year’s group returns only one starter in center Kingsley Eguakun. Sophomore Austin Barber, who is expected to take over for Gouraige at left tackle, started five games and was named to the College Football News Freshman All-America team.
Beyond that, the Gators will rely on highly regarded but largely untested transfers from Baylor, Alabama and Florida International. If they play well, Florida’s running game could become its identity. If not, it could be a long season.
What position groups give you concern with your team?
Thomas: I want to see answers to the question marks on the offense. The biggest story since January has been the health of Cam Rising after he was injured in the Rose Bowl. That storyline will continue for the rest of the season, because the public (and maybe the coaching staff) doesn’t know if Rising will be medically cleared for the Aug. 31 home opener.
The overall concern is how will offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig continue to improve his offense (ranked 14th in 2021 and 11th in 2022) without his QB1 and top tight ends from last year. I feel confident that the U. will have a solid run game, and its offensive line has enough talent to open lanes against any team. But the options at QB without Rising are players that have only played as substitutes, or got the last-minute nod due to injury.
Regardless of who the quarterback is, how will he do at distributing the ball to wide receivers and tight ends?
And though I hate bringing up altitude, I feel confident the game plan will include a lot of different run looks for the Florida defense so that Utah can control the clock, wear out the opposing defense while keeping its own defense fresh, limit turnovers from the QB — Will it be Cam Rising, Nate Johnson and/or Bryson Barnes?! — and give the Florida offense long fields to work with.
Ethan: Like Utah, it starts with quarterback. Utes fans surely remember Anthony Richardson willing Florida to victory last year, seemingly on athleticism alone. Without him at quarterback, it’s hard to imagine Florida winning that game. He’s gone now, starting for the Indianapolis Colts instead. In his place, Florida will turn to Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz. He threw for over 2,000 yards for the Badgers last season, but he had a rough spring game — and a fairly lackluster career in Madison. Many Gators fans are worried he just won’t be able to do enough to make the team competitive in the SEC, or against a top-level opponent like Utah. At the very least, he’s not Richardson when it comes to athleticism. If he can avoid turnovers and keep his completion percentage high, he has a chance to be an effective game manager. Anything more than that would be more than Gators fans expect.
Florida’s defensive line will also need to create more pressure to fluster Bryson Barnes, whose lack of experience could work to Florida’s advantage if the Gators can make him uncomfortable. However, Florida ranked 96th in sacks last year, and three of its top five pass rushers are gone. Much of the pressure to fill that void will fall on Princely Umanmielen, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound junior from Texas. He led the team in sacks last season (albeit with just 4.5), and he’ll be counted on to ramp up his pressure production this year. He seems to be embracing that role, having switched his number from 33 to 1. He’ll also get some reinforcement from CamRon Jackson and Caleb Banks, a pair of highly touted transfers from Memphis and Louisville, respectively.
What gives you confidence that your team will win?
Thomas: Top to bottom, Florida is a more talented team from a recruiting standpoint (Florida has 26 more blue-chip recruits in the last three recruiting cycles), but I have confidence in the returning production from Utah on defense, offensive line and running back. Luckily, games aren’t won by recruiting rankings.
I also like that Florida is flying over 2,000 miles and two time zones, over the course of two days, to play on a Thursday night. Rice-Eccles Stadium will be full, likely with a record crowd due to the standing room only tickets being sold. It takes a lot to beat Utah at home in front of a sold-out crowd, and replacing Richardson with Mertz is not an even trade.
Ethan: Like Thomas said, Florida has better raw talent. Whatever question marks surround the quarterback position or the team’s lack of experience and cohesion, the Gators have the playmakers and the size to beat the Utes. I don’t know exactly what buttons Billy Napier will need to push to make that happen, but that’s why he makes $7.4 million per year and I make less than that. If he comes to Salt Lake City with a good game plan and his team stays disciplined, the Gators should fly back across the Rockies with a W.
What can visitors expect as they watch the game at Rice-Eccles Stadium?
Thomas: I traveled to Gainesville for the season opener in 2022, and enjoyed the atmosphere immensely. Though Utah’s stadium is smaller, it still gets loud (my Apple Watch measured the decibels last year at 110 in Florida, and 108 at Utah during the season) and provides a tremendous homefield advantage. Last year, I was surprised at how annoyed Gator fans sitting around us were as the game started, and over the course of the first quarter they soon realized we weren’t the typical annoying visiting fanbase that they were used to in SEC play. We made acquaintances and enjoyed a very entertaining game in the heart of SEC territory. Florida fans will be in awe of the surrounding views of Rice-Eccles Stadium, and the fact that every seat has a great view (even if you are Ethan and his friends with standing room only tickets). I hope we are respectful hosts that enjoy the game regardless of the outcome.
So much was made last year of the humidity and heat that I think it’s only fair to bring this up: As you walk up to your seat in the stadium, you’ll feel more out of breath than you normally would. We do have less oxygen at this elevation, it’s just science. Take a break and catch your breath as you look around the campus and see the mountains that reach up to 10,000 feet and beyond. I doubt it affects the athletes on the field much, but it’s going to give many visiting fans pause as they wonder if they are having a heart attack while they struggle to breathe.
Ethan: I also visited Gainesville for last year’s game, and I was very disappointed that the crowd noise didn’t affect the Utes. I’m sure Florida will be similarly well prepared in that regard, given that while I’m sure Rice-Eccles Stadium is plenty loud, I also can’t imagine it’s Neyland Stadium or Death Valley loud. And that’s actually a pretty good comparison for what I’m expecting as a fan.
This will be my first Utah game, and I’m bringing along a few college friends who are flying out just for the occasion. I’m quite sure the atmosphere there will not be the SEC atmosphere we’re used to, but I’m also quite sure it will be plenty vibrant. I’ve lived in Utah long enough to know how passionate the football fans are. It’s not to the religious level you find in the South (except, perhaps, for the BYU-Utah game), but it’s still impressive, and this is one of the biggest home openers in Utah history — in a season where the team is coming off a Rose Bowl berth, no less. I imagine it’ll be intense, and roaring, but at the risk of offending Utes fans, it also won’t be anything beyond what Gators fans have seen before.
Beyond the atmosphere, the view is also worth considering. Playing at Utah is about as far away, scenery-wise, as it gets from the muggy, flat, green terrain of Gainesville. I reckon Gators fans will enjoy that change of pace — although the players may not take too well to the change in altitude. I know it took me a long time to adjust when I moved here, and unfortunately — unlike Kyle Whittingham pumping in crowd noise — Billy Napier can’t simulate that at practice.
