It was not the start to the 2023 college football campaign that the Gator Nation was hoping for. In fact, Florida’s season-opening loss at the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City was rather embarrassing as the team opened the second year of the Billy Napier era completely out of sync, falling by a score of 24-11.
The offense left a lot to be desired despite quarterback Graham Mertz’s perfectly adequate play under center, especially with the running back corps getting stymied all game. The defense gave up a big score on Utah’s first play from scrimmage, and despite buckling down over the stretch, caused irreparable damage that the Gators could not recover from.
Not to mention the mental errors made that land on the shoulders of the coaching staff. The biggest mind-boggler was a procedural penalty that was called when two players on the field were both wearing No. 3. It was an all-around poor effort that does not bode well for the remainder of the season.
Take a look below at how the media reacted to Florida’s disappointing loss to Utah in what was a step back for the program in just the first game of the fall.