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The University of Utah Athletics
Postgame Notes: No. 14 Utah vs. Florida
8/31/2023 10:41 PM | Football
Postgame Notes
(at) No. 14 Utah 24, Florida 11
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Thursday, August 31, 2023
Kick: 6:05 p.m. MT | End: 9:11 p.m.
Attendance: 53,644 (sellout, facility record)
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General
Offense
Defense
Special Teams
(at) No. 14 Utah 24, Florida 11
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Thursday, August 31, 2023
Kick: 6:05 p.m. MT | End: 9:11 p.m.
Attendance: 53,644 (sellout, facility record)
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General
- Utah hosted an SEC team inside Rice-Eccles Stadium for the first time.
- Against current members of the SEC, Utah now holds a 4-10 all-time record, however that includes a 1-1 record against Missouri and 1-2 record vs. Texas A&M before both programs joined the SEC.
- The Utes defeated an SEC team for the first time since the 2009 Sugar Bowl, which was a 31-17 win over Alabama in the Louisiana Superdome.
- Playing in season openers, Utah is 78-51-1 all-time with just three season-opening losses in the last 17 seasons. Under head coach Kyle Whittingham (since 2005), the Utes have opened the season at home 14 times and are 13-1 in those games.
- The Utes are 30-4 in regular season non-conference games since joining the Pac-12 and is 21-0 at home during that era.Â
- Utah improved to 113-36 when playing at Rice-Eccles Stadium (since 1998) and is now 85-25 at home under Whittingham.
- Whittingham, the winningest head coach in program history, is now 155-74 as leader of the Utah program. Including his time as an assistant coach since 1994, Whittingham has coached in 355 games and 229 as the head coach—both the most in program history.
- Utah has won 15 straight home games (since Dec. 5, 2020) and 26 of its last 27 home games. The 15-game home winning streak is the second-longest in Whittingham's tenure as head coach (short only of 21 from Sept. 15, 2007-Oct. 23, 2010).
- The attendance figure for the game (53,644) is a Rice-Eccles Stadium record, resetting the previous facility record of 53,609 vs. USC in 2022.
- Utah has sold out Rice-Eccles Stadium in 77Â consecutive games, dating back to the 2010 season opener. Capacity currently sits at 51,444 with the completion of the Ken Garff Red Zone in 2021. Previously, capacity was 45,807.
- Utah won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The Utes defended the North goal to begin the game.
Offense
- Quarterback Bryson Barnes made his second career start and first inside Rice-Eccles Stadium. He is now 2-0 as Utah's starting quarterback after his win against Washington State in 2022.Â
- Barnes finished 12-of-18 passing for 159 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions and no sacks.
- Barnes began the game 4-for-4 on his first four pass attempts for 108 yards and a touchdown.
- On Utah's first offensive play of the game, Barnes threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Money Parks. It was a career-long pass for Barnes and a career-long reception for Parks.
- The last time Utah scored a touchdown on its first offensive play of the game was in 2012 at Colorado, when Travis Wilson threw a 16-yard score to Dres Anderson. (via Greg Mroz / STATS Inc)
- Parks' touchdown reception was his fourth as a Ute (one in 2021, two in 2022). It was Barnes' sixth career passing touchdown.
- Converted tight end (from defensive end) Miki Suguturaga made his first collegiate reception during the first quarter (17 yards).
- Quarterback Nate Johnson entered the game during the second quarter and contributed a 27-yard rushing touchdown; it was a career-long rush for Johnson surpassing a 21-yard rush during the Stanford game in 2022.
- Johnson's score capped a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive. It was Utah's first scoring drive of 80-plus yards since an 81-yard touchdown sequence in the 2022 Pac-12 Championship vs. USC.
- True freshman Spencer Fano started the game at left tackle. Since at least 1996, Fano is the first true freshman (redshirts not included) at Utah to start a season opener at left tackle.
- Across the entire offensive line, Fano was just the third true freshman since 2005 to start a season opener (2020 - Jaren Kump RT; 2019 - Johnny Maea RG).
- Wide receiver Mikey Matthews recorded his first four collegiate catches for 34 yards. Transfer and fellow wideout Mycah Pittman contributed the first two catches of his Utah career.
Defense
- Utah forced three-and-outs on Florida's first two drives of the night.
- Dating back to the 2022 regular season finale at Colorado, it was the third time in Utah's last four games that the Utes held its opponent to a three-and-out on its opening drive.
- Utah held the Gators to just a 1-of-13 conversion rate on third down. Florida did not convert a third down attempt until the fourth quarter (they were stopped on their first nine attempts).
- Defensive end Jonah Elliss made four tackles, including a career-high 2.0 sacks for 20 yards. Elliss also broke up a pass on Florida's final offensive play of the night, returning the ball to Utah to kneel out the clock.
- Making his return to the Utes, linebacker Sione Fotu (7) reset his career-high tackles; it was previously four vs. USC in 2020.
- Safety Cole Bishop had 11 tackles, one short of tying his career high at Florida in 2022 to give him two double-digit tackle games in his career. Bishop had his first sack since the Arizona State game in 2022; it was a 12-yard takedown during the second quarter and brings Bishop to 5.5 sacks in his career. Bishop also forced a fumble.
- On a double-tip (including one to himself), safety Sione Vaki recorded his first career interception during the third quarter. It left Utah a short field and set up a three-play, 11-yard touchdown drive.
- Cornerback JaTravis Broughton (8) was one tackle short of tying his career-high.
Special Teams
- Kicker Cole Becker made his Utah debut, going 1-for-2 on field goals, kicking off five times and 3-for-3 on PATs attempts.
- Becker made a 51-yard field goal during the second quarter; it was the first make of 50-plus yards by a Utah kicker since Jaden Redding made a 50-yarder as the first half expired in the 2021 Pac-12 Championship vs. Oregon.
- Including his time at Colorado, Becker has made four career field goals of 50-plus yards; it is tied for sixth-most among active FBS kickers (via Greg Mroz).
- Four of Utah's six punts on the night went for 50-plus yards.
- Punter Jack Bouwmeester had a 61-yard punt during the third quarter, then blasted a career-long 64-yarder later in the third quarter from his own end zone. It was the longest punt by a Ute since Mitch Wishnowsky's 68-yarder against Oregon in 2018.
- Bouwmeester is the first Utah punter since 2014 to have multiple 60-yard punts in a game. Tom Hackett was the last to accomplish the feat, booting a 65- and 70-yard punt at Colorado on Nov. 29, 2014. (via Greg Mroz / STATS Inc.)
Players Mentioned
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