Graham Mertz Looks Ahead To His First Florida-Georgia Faceoff

It is officially Georgia hate week in Gainesville as the Gators prepare for their 101st matchup in the historic rivalry against the Bulldogs.

The teams will travel to Jacksonville for the annual meeting, with Georgia having won the previous two contests. Coming in as multiple touchdown underdogs, the 5-2 Gators look to shock the nation against the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs, who have not lost a regular season game in 34 straight games and have won the last 24 games they have played in.

Gators Quarterback Graham Mertz is getting a taste of this rivalry for the first time after transferring over from Wisconsin this offseason. He has surprised many in his first season as a Gator, throwing for over 1,800 yards and 12 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions, and it seems as if the offense is coming together and getting better every week. Mertz is excited to step on to the field in the Orange & Blue to face off against the tough rival.

Gators Coming Off of a Bye

The Gators should be fresh in this game as they come off of their week eight bye. After playing games seven straight weeks, getting a rest was much needed for the team, especially for a quarterback who has been taking heavy shots week after week.

Having the rest was big, but Mertz explained that the team did not just take the week off and forget about football.

Opportunities

The tough SEC schedule can be seen as a death sentence for some teams, but for Graham Mertz, he believes it is just another opportunity. Playing against the number one team in the nation, who also happens to be a huge rival, doesn’t faze Mertz. It excites him.

Dangerous Defense

The Bulldogs defense ranks No. 6 in all of the NCAA in total defense, only allowing an opponent to score over 20 points three times in seven games. They also rank No. 1 in 3rd down defense, as opponents have converted just over 23% of their 3rd down opportunities. The Gator offense has found recent success, but they will be up against the best of the best. Luckily for Mertz, this is nothing new. In almost 40 career starts, Mertz has faced some talented defenses.

A Young Team Faced with a Tough Task

This Gators team is younger than one many expect. On the offense, youngsters Eugene Wilson and Arlis Boardingham have taken huge strides in recent weeks and have become big parts of the Gators passing attack. Graham Mertz talked about the important experience they are getting.

The two freshman have stepped into huge roles for the offense, and Mertz spoke on the trust he has in them already.

Wilson, a true freshman, has been gaining attention throughout the nation for his strong start to his career. In the five games he has played, he already has 26 catches for 251 yards and a touchdown, while also having 4 carries for 49 yards. His name may be one to look for when end of season awards come around if his usage continues to rise.

Highest graded freshman on offense this season:

🐊 Eugene Wilson III: 82.0 pic.twitter.com/ttXf4njR2s

— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 20, 2023

Mertz and the Gators offense will have to continue to click if they hope to have a chance to take down the Bulldogs. The young team looks to make a statement Saturday in Jacksonville, with the game’s kickoff set for 3:3o PM.