Florida faced a tough challenge opening the 2023 college football season on the road against Utah, but the Gators had reason for confidence. Transfer quarterback Graham Mertz was supposed to lift the offense while last year's victory in Gainesville proved Florida could match even a strong Utah team.
It's just different at Rice-Eccles Stadium, which Billy Napier and company learned quickly as the Utes built a 24-3 lead going into the fourth quarter even with Cam Rising sidelined by injury.
While Florida fans (the ones who could watch) bemoaned their quarterback being sacked over and over again while their defense struggled to slow down a Utah offense run back backup quarterbacks, the Gators took hits from unlikely places off the field as well.
Blooper, the Atlanta Braves mascot, delivered the most crushing of those.
Braves mascot Blooper brutally trolled the Florida Gators
"How are the Gators losing to a team from a nonexistent conference," Blooper tweeted during the game.
There may be some crossover between the Braves and Florida fanbases, but there are certainly a whole lot more Braves and Georgia Bulldogs fans who enjoyed that particular taunt.
The Pac-12 caught a stray there as well. The conference may be in its death throes, but Utah is a contender for the final conference title. With Rising back healthy, they'll be dark horse College Football Playoff contenders as well. Put some respect on Kyle Whittingham's name, Blooper!
Florida was 6-7 in Napier's first season with the Gators. While the early upset over Utah last year started the season off with a bang, the rest of the way was a far more muted journey. While there were some encouraging performances, wins weren't easy to come by in the SEC. The season ended with three straight losses, including defeats to rival Florida State and Oregon State in the bowl game.
