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Photo by: University of Utah Athletics
No. 7 Utah Football Falls in Battle at Florida, 29-26
9/3/2022 10:59 PM | Football
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 7 University of Utah Football team battled to the final play in The Swamp tonight against the Florida Gators, but came up short, falling 29-26.Â
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With six lead changes in the game, it came down to the fourth quarter, where the Gators held a three-point lead with 12:48 on the clock. The train himself, Tavion Thomas, busted through the Gator defensive line with 6:26 remaining in the game to score a four-yard rushing touchdown to make it 26-22 in Utah's favor.Â
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Florida would end up driving 75 yards downfield while taking 4:57 off the clock, finding the end zone on its 14th play to take the lead once again, leaving Utah with just 1:25 to work with.Â
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A pivotal 29-yard gain by Cameron Rising down the middle on a third-and-seven kept the Utes alive. Rising would find Dalton Kincaid open for nine yards to the Florida six-yard line on the next play, but the Gators wouldn't give up another yard, holding on for the 29-26 victory on a goal-line stand.Â
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The Utes finished the game with 446 yards of total offense, which included 216 passing yards and 230 rushing yards. Utah racked up 25 first downs compared to Florida's 23 while averaging 6.3 yards per play.Â
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GAME LEADERS
Rising finished the game with 216 passing yards on 22-of-32 passing with one touchdown (1 INT). He added 91 rushing yards, with Tavion Thomas leading the Utes on the ground with 23 carries for 115 yards (5.0 ypc) and a touchdown.Â
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Brant Kuithe was outstanding for the Utes against the Gators, recording 105 receiving yards. His 105 yards came on a career-high nine catches (11.7 ypc) with one touchdown.Â
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Cole Bishop led the Utes with a career-best 12 tackles on defense along with a quarterback hurry, while Mohamoud Diabate finished with nine stops. In his return from injury, R.J. Hubert racked up a career-high eight tackles along with a 47-yard fumble recovery return, with Connor O'Toole adding seven tackles in his first game at defensive end.Â
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FIRST QUARTER BREAKDOWN
The Utes struck first with 11:23 on the clock after Jonah Elliss put down a huge hit on a Florida running back forcing a fumble and Hubert recovered the ball and went for a 47-yard return to set Utah up with solid field position. Rising would find four different teammates on the drive, ending with a seven-yard pass to Kuithe with the tight end barreling through defenders into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.Â
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As time began to wind down in the first quarter, the Gators were able to put together a drive that burned up 7:13 off the clock, finding the end zone with just 39 seconds remaining in the quarter. Florida tied things up with a two-yard rushing touchdown, sending the 7-7 score into the second quarter.Â
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SECOND QUARTER BREAKDOWN
Utah regained the lead early in the second quarter after the Utes drove for 11 plays and 50 yards, settling on a 43-yard field goal by Jordan Noyes. The field goal gave Utah a three-point lead with 10:26 on the clock, with the drive taking 5:13 off.Â
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The Utes would extend their lead to 13-7 with 3:18 remaining in the quarter with a 31-yard field goal, but Florida would find the end zone with under two minutes to go to take the 14-13 lead. Florida's quarterback broke free for a 45-yard rush, giving the Gators their first lead of the game heading into halftime.Â
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THIRD QUARTER BREAKDOWN
Both teams were scoreless in the third quarter until the final 12 seconds when Rising broke through the defensive line for a 26-yard gain to put the Utes in scoring territory. Just seconds later, he handed it off to Micah Bernard on the seven-yard line, who cut and juked his way in for a rushing touchdown to make it 19-14 heading into the game's final quarter.Â
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FOURTH QUARTER BREAKDOWN
The lead exchanges continued into the fourth quarter with the Gators taking a three-point advantage, finishing off a 75-yard drive with a 14-yard rushing touchdown. Florida would also convert on a two-point conversion to make it 22-19 with 12:48 to go in the game.Â
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In Utah's first drive of the fourth quarter, the Utes marched 73 yards with Thomas gaining 36 yards on the drive to put the Utes on the Florida three-yard line. Thomas would finish off the drive with a four-yard rushing score, giving Utah a 26-22 lead with 6:22 remaining.Â
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Florida started its next drive on its own 25-yard line, converting on two third downs and a fourth down to find its way to the Utah two-yard line. With just 1:25 on the clock, Florida punched in a two-yard rushing score for the win, with the Utes unable to find the end zone in the final seconds of the game.Â
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UP NEXT
Utah opens its home slate on Saturday, Sept. 10, when they host Southern Utah for its annual Hall of Fame game. The Utes and Southern Utah will kick off at 11:30 a.m. MT on Pac-12 Networks.
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FOLLOW ALONG!
To get an inside look at the Utah Football program, follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Football | Instagram: @UtahFootball | Facebook: Search Utah Football), along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com for news, schedule and roster updates throughout the season.
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With six lead changes in the game, it came down to the fourth quarter, where the Gators held a three-point lead with 12:48 on the clock. The train himself, Tavion Thomas, busted through the Gator defensive line with 6:26 remaining in the game to score a four-yard rushing touchdown to make it 26-22 in Utah's favor.Â
Â
Florida would end up driving 75 yards downfield while taking 4:57 off the clock, finding the end zone on its 14th play to take the lead once again, leaving Utah with just 1:25 to work with.Â
Â
A pivotal 29-yard gain by Cameron Rising down the middle on a third-and-seven kept the Utes alive. Rising would find Dalton Kincaid open for nine yards to the Florida six-yard line on the next play, but the Gators wouldn't give up another yard, holding on for the 29-26 victory on a goal-line stand.Â
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The Utes finished the game with 446 yards of total offense, which included 216 passing yards and 230 rushing yards. Utah racked up 25 first downs compared to Florida's 23 while averaging 6.3 yards per play.Â
Â
GAME LEADERS
Rising finished the game with 216 passing yards on 22-of-32 passing with one touchdown (1 INT). He added 91 rushing yards, with Tavion Thomas leading the Utes on the ground with 23 carries for 115 yards (5.0 ypc) and a touchdown.Â
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Brant Kuithe was outstanding for the Utes against the Gators, recording 105 receiving yards. His 105 yards came on a career-high nine catches (11.7 ypc) with one touchdown.Â
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Cole Bishop led the Utes with a career-best 12 tackles on defense along with a quarterback hurry, while Mohamoud Diabate finished with nine stops. In his return from injury, R.J. Hubert racked up a career-high eight tackles along with a 47-yard fumble recovery return, with Connor O'Toole adding seven tackles in his first game at defensive end.Â
Â
FIRST QUARTER BREAKDOWN
The Utes struck first with 11:23 on the clock after Jonah Elliss put down a huge hit on a Florida running back forcing a fumble and Hubert recovered the ball and went for a 47-yard return to set Utah up with solid field position. Rising would find four different teammates on the drive, ending with a seven-yard pass to Kuithe with the tight end barreling through defenders into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.Â
Â
As time began to wind down in the first quarter, the Gators were able to put together a drive that burned up 7:13 off the clock, finding the end zone with just 39 seconds remaining in the quarter. Florida tied things up with a two-yard rushing touchdown, sending the 7-7 score into the second quarter.Â
Â
SECOND QUARTER BREAKDOWN
Utah regained the lead early in the second quarter after the Utes drove for 11 plays and 50 yards, settling on a 43-yard field goal by Jordan Noyes. The field goal gave Utah a three-point lead with 10:26 on the clock, with the drive taking 5:13 off.Â
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The Utes would extend their lead to 13-7 with 3:18 remaining in the quarter with a 31-yard field goal, but Florida would find the end zone with under two minutes to go to take the 14-13 lead. Florida's quarterback broke free for a 45-yard rush, giving the Gators their first lead of the game heading into halftime.Â
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THIRD QUARTER BREAKDOWN
Both teams were scoreless in the third quarter until the final 12 seconds when Rising broke through the defensive line for a 26-yard gain to put the Utes in scoring territory. Just seconds later, he handed it off to Micah Bernard on the seven-yard line, who cut and juked his way in for a rushing touchdown to make it 19-14 heading into the game's final quarter.Â
Â
FOURTH QUARTER BREAKDOWN
The lead exchanges continued into the fourth quarter with the Gators taking a three-point advantage, finishing off a 75-yard drive with a 14-yard rushing touchdown. Florida would also convert on a two-point conversion to make it 22-19 with 12:48 to go in the game.Â
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In Utah's first drive of the fourth quarter, the Utes marched 73 yards with Thomas gaining 36 yards on the drive to put the Utes on the Florida three-yard line. Thomas would finish off the drive with a four-yard rushing score, giving Utah a 26-22 lead with 6:22 remaining.Â
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Florida started its next drive on its own 25-yard line, converting on two third downs and a fourth down to find its way to the Utah two-yard line. With just 1:25 on the clock, Florida punched in a two-yard rushing score for the win, with the Utes unable to find the end zone in the final seconds of the game.Â
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UP NEXT
Utah opens its home slate on Saturday, Sept. 10, when they host Southern Utah for its annual Hall of Fame game. The Utes and Southern Utah will kick off at 11:30 a.m. MT on Pac-12 Networks.
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FOLLOW ALONG!
To get an inside look at the Utah Football program, follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Football | Instagram: @UtahFootball | Facebook: Search Utah Football), along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com for news, schedule and roster updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
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DE
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TE
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TE
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K
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DE
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QB
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RB
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