The first game of the Billy Napier era in Gainesville ended in dramatic fashion as linebacker [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] picked off Utah’s Cameron Rising with 17 seconds left on the clock to secure a 29-26 Florida victory.
The interception came from the most unlikely source after Burney had struggled all night with the tough assignment of covering tight end Brant Kuithe. But Kuithe wasn’t in on that play, and Burney was ready for the ball when it came his way. Made even more dramatic by a dropped interception a few plays earlier by linebacker [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag], the turnover quite literally saved the game.
Utah was driving down the field and Rising’s mobility was becoming a problem for the defense. Up until that point, he hadn’t thrown a pick or come close to giving the ball away. Things looked bad, but Burney made the play of his career and the Gators sit 1-0 after week one and have victory over a top-10 to show for it. It’s pretty great to be a Florida Gator right now.
Coming into the night, the Gators were a bit of a question mark. With a new head coach and abysmal returns a season ago, no one quite knew just how good this Florida team would be. [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] and Co. delivered emphatically, though, and UF should have a few more votes in the upcoming AP poll.
Here are five takeaways from the first game of the Napier era.