Billy Napier and Co. had their hands full when starting quarterback Anthony Richardson departed for the NFL after last season. Finding a replacement for the über-athletic passer was a difficult task, and after a couple of significant hiccups, Florida football found its leader in [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag].
The former Wisconsin Badger arrived in Gainesville with little fanfare as his collegiate career up until then was mediocre at best. However, he was successful when it came to game management — particularly in a ground-first attack much like what the Gators have assembled this season.
With two games now in the book, College Sports Wire’s Ryan Haley ranked the Southeastern Conference’s starting quarterbacks by QB rating. The Orange and Blue’s primary passer left a lot to be desired, landing at No. 13 out of 14 total schools with a passer rating of 40.1. Here is what Haley had to offer.
Mertz left Wisconsin to come to Florida for the second year of Billy Napier’s rebuild, and his tenure in orange and blue…didn’t get off to an ideal start. The Gators took a solid thumping from No. 12 Utah in Week 1, losing 24-11 and not scoring a touchdown until the fourth quarter.
The junior completed 70.5% of his passes and managed 333 yards and a touchdown in the loss, but he also threw an interception. ESPN penalized him with a 32.7 QBR, one of the lower Week 1 marks in the conference (albeit against much more demanding competition than most of his peers).
Mertz improved in Week 2, completing all but three of his 17 passes for more than 11 yards per attempt and a pair of total touchdowns. But 193 passing yards (125 of which came after the catch) against McNeese St. wasn’t enough to make up much ground, only earning a 62.0 grade.
Just ahead of Mertz is Tennessee Volunteers starter Joe Milton III — who is also a former Big Ten transfer — with a QBR of 50.9, and in last place is Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Devin Leary with a 37.9 QBR.
Florida hosts Milton and the Volunteers in the Swamp on Saturday, Sept. 16, for the SEC schedule opener between two historic rivals. The opening kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and the game can be watched on ESPN.
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