Florida vs. Utah: TV Channel, Live Stream
The Florida Gators (0-0) and the Utah Utes (0-0) play at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, August 31, 2023.
The matchup featuring the Gators and Utes will be available on ESPN.
When is Florida vs. Utah and when does it start?
This game between the Gators and Utes will take place on Thursday, August 31, 2023. Be ready to see the kickoff at 8:00 PM ET.
Where to watch Florida vs. Utah
The Gators and Utes will take to the field at Rice-Eccles Stadium for this matchup on August 31, and if you’d like to see the matchup live, get your tickets now from Vivid Seats!
What channel is the game on?
You can catch this game live on ESPN.
Watch the Florida vs. Utah live stream on Fubo
Live Stream: fuboTV – (Start Your Free Trial)
Florida vs. Utah Game Preview
Rising’s health: The status of Utes star quarterback Cam Rising is up in the air as he has been recovering from a knee injury suffered January in the Rose Bowl. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior threw for 3,034 yards and 26 touchdowns last year and added 465 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He said that he’s “feeling pretty damn good right now” this week (via: 247Sports), so it seems like it’s trending in a positive direction. If Rising can’t go, walk-on Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson are the two candidates to get the starting nod. Whittingham did say on Monday that Johnson will play “no matter what,” which means that there will be an element of speed in the backfield that surpasses any that Utah has had in the past.
Can Mertz be a star? If this is going to evolve into a quarterback shootout, it’ll be interesting to see if Mertz can keep up. The redshirt junior enjoyed his best season last year, but he only threw for 2,136 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 12 games. He arrived in Gainesville, Florida, with the hopes of giving a jump start to an offense that was wildly inconsistent despite the fact that Richardson was widely regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. His experience is something that Napier was impressed with during fall camp.
“I think the big thing I’ve been impressed with is just his ability to come in and learn the system, translate what he knows and apply that to our system,” Napier said while announcing Mertz as the starting quarterback. “And then just, you know, relentless in approach. Probably’s worked as hard as any player on our team. Probably as hard as a lot of players that I’ve been around, you know, in terms of the unseen hours, right? Those are what I’m talking about specifically, and the self-discipline, to have a system, a process, a routine, to work, to connect with players, ask very intelligent questions, and is anticipating problems.”
Battle in the trenches: As is the case in most matchups, the battle in the trenches will be fascinating to watch, particularly when Florida is on offense. The Gators lost four of five starters from last year’s squad, and this group will have to come together quickly in order to keep Mertz clean and open holes for the Gators’ dynamic rushing attack. On the other side of the ball is a Utah defensive front that is experienced and versatile. The Utes led the Pac-12 in tackles for loss per game (6.43) and sacks per game (2.93) last season, and that’s become a hallmark within the program. The winner of that battle will likely take home the win.