Florida has a history of dominance in its season-opening contests, winning all but one of those matchups since 1990 and earning victories in every home opener in that span, the longest active streak in the FBS. Over the last four seasons, the Gators have won their openers by a combined score of 163-75, besting opponents by over two possessions on average.

But achieving such dominance in this year’s season opener will be a much taller task for a Florida team entering its first season under the instruction of new coaching with No. 7 Utah, the reigning Pac-12 champion, set to take on the Gators in Gainesville on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.

Neither Florida head coach Billy Napier nor his players are taking the matchup lightly.

“ This is a heck of a football team,” Napier said. “There's a reason why they're a top ten ranked team and won their conference championship.”

Largely obscured from national view by the Pac-12’s abysmal broadcast deal and lack of national appeal, Utah was a potent team in all phases a year ago, flying under the radar for the majority of its season despite charging to the top of its conference and playing its way into the Rose Bowl where it lost to Ohio State in a back-and-forth battle.

Utah’s offense was very successful in 2021, averaging 36.1 points per game, the 14th-most among FBS programs. The Utes also ranked No. 27 nationally in total offense and 13th in rushing offense with 216.8 yards per game on the ground.

The majority of the players who enabled that success for the Utes are back in the fold for the program this year, including starting quarterback Cameron Rising, who piloted the team to a 9-2 in games he started.

A reasonably-mobile signal-caller who was generally accurate with solid arm strength a year ago, Rising finished the 2021 season just shy of 2,500 passing yards with 20 passing touchdowns against just five interceptions while also scrambling for 499 yards and six rushing scores. The 6-foot-2, 218-pound quarterback also completed 63.8 percent of his throws and achieved first-team All-Pac-12 status as a byproduct of his efforts.

“I feel like he's a great quarterback,” Florida senior linebacker Amari Burney said. “He played last year. We seen what he did last year. He's coming back again. I feel like -- and I think they mad about the Rose Bowl game. So I feel like they've got a little vengeance on them. He's a great quarterback. He's sneaky fast, I see that a little bit.”

Despite operating in what has traditionally been a run-heavy offense, Rising was as successful through the air last year as any Utah quarterback in recent program history, which was enabled in large part by the team’s creative usage of its two primary tight ends, Brant Kuithe and Dalton Kincaid.

At times, Kuithe has functioned almost like a wide receiver and moves around the field as much as anybody on the Utes’ roster, something that can create mismatches for defensive backs and linebackers in coverage, especially when Kuithe aligns in the slot, something he did frequently last season. Kincaid does not have as much alignment flexibility but has been equally as effective in the team’s passing attack, something Florida’s defenders will have to be wary of.

“It's going to be a good challenge for us,” Burney said. “I feel like we're ready, though. They've got two good tight ends, No. 80 (Kuithe) and No. 86 (Kincaid).”

Kuithe’s ability to align in a variety of places has been among the Gator defense’s focuses in the days leading up to the matchup. Burney said the athletic tight end reminds him of a recent Gator great.

“No. 80, we've been watching on film,” Burney said. “He's kind of a hybrid tight end, kind of like (former Florida tight end) Kyle Pitts, kind of how we used him. It's going to be a very good challenge for us.”

With Rising’s primary weapons in the passing game back at his disposal, there are exceedingly high expectations for the Utes’ passing game. However, everything in their offense has historically started with their ability to advance the ball via inside runs in order to open things up for their play-action game. And this year, Utah’s running back duo could rival its quarterback as the crux of its offensive unit.

Utah returned two of its three leading rushers from 2021: Tavion Thomas, a punisher-style running back who excels at runs in between the tackles, and Micah Bernard, a more slender option who presents more of a threat on stretch concepts and as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.

Thomas finished his season with over 1,100 rushing yards and set a school record with 21 rushing scores while Bernard accumulated 774 yards of total offense with four total touchdowns. Many expect Utah’s rushing attack to pick up where it left off last season despite losing two offensive linemen to the NFL.

“They're balanced,” Napier said. “Obviously, the running backs are returning. This is a well-designed running attack, in my opinion. I admire the brand of football that they play, I think, on a number of different surfaces.”

It will require acute attention to detail from the Gator defense.

“We got to communicate,” starting defensive back Tre’Vez Johnson said. “Like I said, going back to the little details. We have to communicate every play. We have to be on the same page every play. If we do that I think we’ll be a great defense. ”

Utah’s defensive output was on par with its offensive success last season. The Utes ranked 27th in the FBS in yards allowed per game (343.4), the third-best mark in the Pac-12. They also ranked No. 18 in rushing defense (121.1 rushing yards allowed per game) and No. 35 nationally in scoring defense (22.6 points allowed per game).

Defense has been Utah’s calling card throughout Whittingham’s tenure, though it has been particularly strong in the last several years under coordinator Morgan Scalley, who took over the role ahead of the 2016 season and has remained there since. Scalley’s defenses regularly rank among the top three in the Pac-12 in various key dey defensive categories including total defense, scoring defense and run defense, which is what the Utes hang their hat on.

Under Scalley, Utah has run a base 4-3 scheme that utilizes left and right personnel, something that is far more common at the NFL level than it is in college football. The Utes do a great job of disguising their coverages before the snap, making it difficult for opposing quarterbacks to decipher what they might be dealing with until the ball is live.

It could be a significant test for Florida starting quarterback Anthony Richardson, who will be making just his second career start at the college level.

“I’m excited to get to play football again,” Richardson said. “Just another great team. Hopefully, I get to showcase what I can do a lot better than what I did last year. I’m ready.”

From a personnel standpoint, Utah’s defense underwent significant changes over the offseason. The team’s top three t acklers from last year, linebackers Devin Lloyd and Nephi Sewell and safety Brandon McKinney, have moved on to the professional ranks as did its 2021 sacks leader, defensive end Mika Tafua, and starting safety Vonte Davis, who ranked fifth on the team in tackles and recorded an interception. Only one of Utah’s top five tacklers from a year ago, all-conference corner Clark Phillips, is back in the fold in 2022.

With just six returning defensive starters on its roster this season, Utah will be leaning on several new faces in critical roles, including former Florida linebacker Mohamoud Diabate, who transferred to Utah after ranking second among Gator defenders in total tackles last season.

“It's going to be pretty fun because I went up against him his whole career while he was here at Florida,” Zanders said. “Well, not since I switched to defense. But working with him at defense and when he first came, I was still at tight end. So we never really got to hit each other and everything, but he's a hell of a player, and I'll be able to work with him too.”

According to Zanders, Florida is not overlooking the Utes’ defense despite the talent it lost from last season.

“ I feel like they're a really good team,” Zanders said Monday. “They're experienced. Got a lot of guys coming back. They made it really far last year. As an experienced team, we've got to come in and just show that we can hang in with the best of them.”

Added Napier: “Execution is what's going to decide the game. Anything that doesn't contribute to that, I think could be a distraction this time of year.”

According to Napier and some of his players, Saturday’s matchup could also be decided by certain external factors such as the attendance at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Florida announced a sellout for the Gators’ season opener against the Utes on Aug. 20, a development that was preceded by Florida student season tickets selling out just a few weeks earlier, which forced the program to offer a limited number of single-game student tickets for select home games.

Additionally, Napier said the program sold more season tickets in the summer than it had at any point in the previous five years, something Napier hasn’t taken for granted.

In no uncertain terms, the first-year Florida coach has said that crowd noise and game atmosphere directly affect outcomes.

“We really look forward to our fans showing up,” Napier said. “We all understand Gainesville transforms on game day, and I'm certainly excited about experiencing that for the first time being on this side, right? So be there early, know that you're a part of the team and that you can contribute and help our team in terms of the game.”

The weather could play a role in the game’s final result, too.

As of Friday morning, there is at least a 50 percent chance of rain at the game’s listed start time and scattered thunderstorms are expected in the area throughout the late afternoon and early evening. Weather.com also projects 94 percent humidity at night, which Utah has reportedly kept in mind during its practices as it artificially increased humidity and heat in its practice facility.

Conversely, Napier and his staff have encouraged their players to ignore the elements.

“I think our focus as a team is more in our preparation,” Napier said. “I think that it’s critical that we focus on the task at hand, you know, I think execution ultimately will win the game. You know, I think we train in it all summer, we’re right in the middle of it there in training camp, so it’s part of the gig at the University of Florida, but our focus is on our preparation. We don’t control the weather.”

The Gators are hoping to stay true to their fundamentals in their first matchup with Napier at the helm of the team as they feel it will give them the best chance to beat such a formidable opening opponent. They also said the environment at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium will work in their favor.

“ This ain’t going to be nothing they’ve seen before,” Johnson said. “Especially being in The Swamp. Ain’t nothing like 90,000 (people in attendance). This is the best atmosphere in football, college football. ”

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