GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Twenty years have passed since Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and 19 years since the end of the final season together for Utah legends
Karl Malone and
John Stockton, arguably the greatest pick-and-roll duo in NBA history.
The Jazz and their hometown have had other sports moments to cherish, but nothing compared to the Malone-Stockton days. Still, right when Stockton hung up his sneakers and Malone left for Los Angeles, a young coach named
Urban Meyer arrived in Salt Lake City and ushered in a new era for the University of Utah football program.
The Utes went 22-2 in two seasons under Meyer, who bolted for "The Swamp" following a perfect 12-0 season in 2004. One of his assistants,
Kyle Whittingham, took over after Meyer left and has been in charge ever since. In his 18th season, Whittingham is headed to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday when he brings
his No. 7-ranked Utes to town to face the unranked Gators in their first game under head coach
Billy Napier.
In Utah, many are calling this the most significant season opener in Utes history. The Florida locals are also intrigued, considering it's a rare matchup for the Gators, and they have a new coach and starting quarterback (
Anthony Richardson) to critique.
This is a Utah team that Gators fans have heard about all summer, knowing the Utes were coming to town for the first time in 45 years. The Gators won the only previous meeting between the schools on a hot afternoon at Florida Field in 1977.
The Utes played in the Western Athletic Conference in those days. They moved to the Mountain West Conference in 1999 and, in 2011, joined the big boys as a member of the Pac-12.
As reigning Pac-12 champions, Utah is a contender for the College Football Playoff this season if the lofty preseason projections turn out true. The Utes have a veteran quarterback in fifth-year junior
Cameron Rising and tailback
Tavion Thomas, who rushed for more than 1,100 yards and 21 touchdowns last season.
Utah's offensive talent has not gone unnoticed by Napier and his staff as they prepared for their first game at Florida.
"I think they have a fantastic system on offense," Napier said this week. "They're balanced. This is a well-designed running attack, in my opinion. I admire the brand of football that they play."
For a coach known to use his tight ends effectively, Napier has undoubtedly paid serious attention to the Utah tight end tandem of
Brant Kuithe and
Dalton Kincaid.
Kuithe (50 receptions, 611 yards, 6 TD) and Kincaid (36-510-8) combined for 86 catches, 1,121 yards and 14 touchdowns a season ago.
Those numbers would make
Kyle Pitts proud.
How much of a threat is the Kuithe-Kincaid duo? They are in the top 10 nationally among active tight ends in receiving yards, with Kincaid sixth (1,733) and Kuithe seventh (1,676). The duo accounted for 14 of Utah's 24 receiving scores a year ago.
Gators fans are all-too-familiar with opposing tight ends causing problems. They remember Georgia's
Isaac Nauta running linebacker
Vosean Joseph silly on a critical drive in Florida's 2018 loss, and the Bulldogs'
Eli Wolf with a huge third-down catch in the 2019 loss.
Utah presents a big challenge for Florida's defense, starting with quarterback Rising, a Texas signee who later transferred to Utah and earned first-team All-Pac 12 honors in 2021. Thomas is a load to tackle. But when dissecting what Utah does well, it's hard to look past how Whittingham uses the tight ends.
You may want to keep an eye on them. No. 86 (Kincaid) and No. 80 (Kuithe) for those with binoculars.
