The [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] experiment at Florida has gone well so far.
The former Wisconsin quarterback has completed 45 of 61 attempts (73.8%) for 526 yards and two touchdowns, but the big test is coming this weekend when the Tennessee Volunteers roll into Gainesville.
The rivalry’s significance isn’t lost on the first-year Gator, either. In fact, he’s spent a good deal of his time with the Orange and Blue prepping for moments like this.
“The second we got here, it was something we talked about, rivalry games, what it means, the history behind it,” Mertz said on Monday. “… during camp, we did a little lesson on each rivalry game. My notebook was filled just with the history of it.
“I think any time you get into a week like this, it’s bigger than just this team. It’s the Florida Gators, and that’s everybody, fans, coaches, families, people that have played here.”
The coaching staff had a 30-40 minute video prepared to recap the history of the rivalry. Mertz said that helped him understand just how much passion and emotion there is behind this game. The Swamp will be rocking and several alumni have made efforts to express just how important this matchup is.
The McNeese State game provided a nice confidence boost for Mertz, but he downplayed some of the bigger moments from the weekend, including the 50-yard touchdown connection he made with Ricky Pearsall.
The offense is beginning to click and find the right timing, but tempo could be an issue against Tennessee. Josh Heupel brought the UCFast offense with him to Tennessee, and Mertz knows that the Gators need to control the clock to win this game.
“I’ve played an offense that has a lot of time possession and controls the rock, comes out of a huddle, gets up on the line. For me it’s a little bit different,” he said. “But we know we can do that. I mean, any time that you go into a game, the time of possession, the control of the clock is defensively a big impact. It will be a point of emphasis.”
Florida and Tennessee are set to clash at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday.
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