It took until the fourth quarter of Thursday’s season opener for Florida to finally find the end zone against the Utah Utes. Graham Mertz went to Caleb Douglas from 19 yards out, and the sophomore receiver went over the top of cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn for a highlight reel score.
The score was Mertz’s first passing touchdown as a Gator and was quickly followed up with a successful two-point conversion pass to Eugene “Tre” Wilson, cutting Utah’s then 21-point lead down to just 13.
For Douglas, it was his second catch of the season after hauling a four-yard pass to kick off the season.
Graham Mertz' first touchdown pass as a Florida Gator is to Caleb Douglas 🏈pic.twitter.com/kqMGMUkyZu
— 247Sports (@247Sports) September 1, 2023
Florida’s rushing game all but disappeared in this game, but it’s still surprising that the first touchdown of the year didn’t come on the ground for the Gators. Mertz had been passing the ball well all night, throwing just one interception thanks to a miscue between him and Ricky Pearsall.
Hopefully, Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson Jr. get going in Week 2.
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