SALT LAKE CITY — Utah gave Florida a taste of the same suffocating defense the Utes have used to recently dominate Pac-12 opponents.

Bryson Barnes threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Money Parks on Utah’s first play of the game, rushed for another score and the No. 14 Utes beat Florida 24-11 on Thursday night, Aug. 31 in the opener for both teams.

Nate Johnson split time at quarterback with Barnes for the Utes with usual starter Cam Rising still recovering from a knee injury he suffered in the Rose Bowl.

Utah clamped down on defense in Rising’s absence, forcing a turnover and getting five sacks. The Gators converted 1 of 13 third downs and 2 of 5 fourth downs while totaling 13 yards rushing on 21 carries.

“If you had to say what was the one phase or one thing that was the biggest difference in the game, it was the way our defense played,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.

Graham Mertz threw for 333 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in his first start for the Gators. Ricky Pearsall had 92 yards on eight catches. Florida drove inside the red zone four times but totaled only 10 points on those drives.

“They just always seemed like they had one extra guy,” Mertz said.

Making his second career start, Barnes wasted no time making an impact with the scoring strike to Parks. Barnes completed his first four passes and had 150 yards passing by halftime. He finished with 159 yards.

Barnes said he learned he was starting for Utah 1 1/2 weeks before Thursday’s game. His first play touchdown gave the entire team a major energy boost.

“That’s the type of stuff you think of as kids, so it was great to go out there and actually put it on tape,” Barnes said.

Johnson also put Florida’s defense on its heels when he checked in during the second quarter. He faked a handoff to Micah Bernard and raced 27 yards to extend Utah’s lead to 14-3 midway through the second quarter.