Thoughts of the Day: Will Mertz start throwing more downfield?

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning:

Photo Credit Chris Spears

Through six games, Graham Mertz has completed 140 of 175 passes for 1,474 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s been picked off twice, both on passes his own receiver deflected. He is second nationally at 80 percent. A year ago Anthony Richardson completed 53.8 percent. Mertz averages 8.4 per attempt, which is also superior to Richardson’s 7.8.

Fans and critics alike complain that Mertz rarely throws anything more than a 10-12-yard pass and rarely launches anything deep. At some point, they say, opponents like Georgia are going to squeeze the life out of the Florida passing game because it’s way too conservative. Is the criticism fair? Is Mertz simply taking what the defenses are giving him? Is he simply obeying orders from the sideline by throwing safe passes that avoid turnovers and move the chains?

A better question: Is Graham Mertz getting rid of the ball in a hurry because Florida’s offensive line is struggling to protect him? He’s been sacked 15 times and has taken way too many hits. One of them against Vanderbilt forced him to leave the game for a handful of plays, but he returned to finish out the game.

The answer might be a combination of all of the above. He has been taking what defenses give him and even with defenses stacked and in close proximity, he’s delivered accurate passes that do indeed move the chains. It’s not explosive football, which fans want, but it occupies the clock and moves the football. Billy Napier despises turnovers so that’s part of the equation, but until the Vanderbilt game, Napier really didn’t have most of the pieces to his offensive puzzle in place.

What Napier and Mertz had at their disposal were Montrell Johnson and Treyaun Webb in a running game that gained 215 yards. He also had Tre Wilson available for the first time since the first half of the Tennessee game to give him that horizontal, make-you-miss, Kadarius Toney type, and Arlis Boardingham, who had the best game a tight end at UF has had against a Division I opponent since Kyle Pitts in 2020. Boardingham is a serious threat in the middle of the field, which has been missing all season. Now throw in Ricky Pearsall, a legitimate threat whether it’s deep, the mid-routes or the dinks that require some make-you-miss, and Florida may have found its answers in the passing game.

Saturday afternoon against South Carolina in Columbia, the Gators will be going against the worst pass defense in the SEC. The Gamecocks have been gouged for 301.4 yards per game. There are holes in that defense to be found. With a more complete complement of skill weapons at his disposal, this is a game that Mertz should have plenty of opportunities to fling it down the field.

UF women’s golf: Filler, Gators win Tar Heel Invitational

Maise Filler got her first collegiate tournament win Tuesday when she shot a 3-under par 69 to lead the Gators to the team title at the Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill. Filler’s 3-day total of 203 was 13-under par. The Gators finished the tournament at -16, a full eight shots ahead of second place Auburn.

UF men’s golf: Gators finish fourth at Williams Cup

The Gators shot a 291 as a team Tuesday to move up four places, finishing fourth at the Williams Cup in Wilmington, North Carolina. Tyler Wilkes shot a 6-under par 66 Tuesday to finish third individually with a three-day total of 2-under, 214.

SEC football

No. 11 Alabama (5-1, 3-0 SEC): Alabama is currently averaging 143.67 yards per game rushing, 3.73 per carry. If that pace continues, this will be the worst ground game of the entire Nick Saban era.

Arkansas (2-4, 0-2 SEC): Arkansas fans are unhappy that here it is year four of the Sam Pittman era and yet the Razorbacks are still struggling. They’ve taken to Twitter to call for Pittman to be fired because he hired Dan Enos as the offensive coordinator and he won’t fire offensive line coach Cody Kennedy.

Auburn (3-2, 0-2 SEC): Evaluating Saturday opponent LSU, Hugh Freeze said, “There’s not a weakness in that offense. I think their offense is the most explosive I’ve seen in a long, long time.”

No. 1 Georgia (6-0, 3-0 SEC): Speaking of NIL and buying players, Kirby Smart said, “Everybody’s sort of buying players or buying recruits. They’re doing it. Other schools are doing it. It’s all about whoever can execute on Saturdays. It’s not about money, it’s about execution at the end of the day. You can buy whatever you want, but if they can’t execute what are you buying for?”

No. 24 Kentucky (5-1, 2-1 SEC): On his Monday radio show, Mark Stoops encouraged boosters to raise more NIL money if they want the Wildcats to be as good as Georgia. Stoops said, “I can promise you in Georgia, they bought some pretty good players. You’re allowed to these days.”

No. 22 LSU (4-2, 2-1 SEC): Try this one on. Brian Kelly says “there is some light at the end of the tunnel for our defense.” LSU currently ranks dead last in the SEC and 124th nationally.

Mississippi State (3-3, 0-3 SEC): Just how bad is the Mississippi State pass defense? The last four quarterbacks the Bulldogs have faced have completed 85 of their 99 pass attempts.

Missouri (5-1, 1-1 SEC): The Tigers will travel to Kentucky Saturday and one of the two teams will depart with a 2-game losing streak, knocked out of the chase to finish second in the SEC East behind Georgia. “We’re both 5-1 coming off of losses,” said head coach Eli Drinkwitz. “There’s going to be plenty involved in the game.”

No. 13 Ole Miss (5-1, 1-1 SEC): Quarterback Jaxson Dart played much of last Saturday’s win over Arkansas with a banged up leg, prompting wide receiver Jordan Watkins to say, “He was banged up the whole game. Dart is a tough guy and he was able to play through it.”

South Carolina (2-3, 1-2 SEC): South Carolina’s defense, next to last in the Southeastern Conference and 121st nationally, will probably turn to freshmen against Florida in an attempt to turn things around. The Gamecocks have six true freshmen averaging 16 snaps per game, but that number could increase starting Saturday.

No. 19 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC): Josh Heupel says Joe Milton is morphing from “just a talented player into a true quarterback.” Milton has thrown for 1,164 yards (7.3 per attempt) with nine touchdowns and three interceptions.

Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1 SEC): Regarding the Aggies’ two losses this season, head coach Jimbo Fisher said Monday, “I blame myself. We have to prepare them better and get them ready to play better. You know what’s funny? I have kids tell me, ‘Coach, it’s my fault. It’s not going to happen again.’ No, it’s not your fault. You tried and there’s caring in there. As long as there is caring and love for each other you’re going to play hard and do what you have to do.”

Vanderbilt (2-5, 0-3 SEC): Cornerback BJ Anderson is definitely out for Saturday’s game with Georgia. Safety DeRicky Wright is doubtful. Corner Martel Hight and offensive lineman Grayson Morgan are listed as questionable.

Countdown to Firing Day: October 11, 2023

Extinct Species List

Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern: Interim David Braun is a surprising 3-3 and there are three possible wins remaining on the schedule. If he gets the Wildcats bowl eligible, he will be the no-brainer guy to replace Fitzgerald.

Mel Tucker, Michigan State: Apparently, they would love to hire Duke head coach Mike Elko, who will be a hot property. Since they were able to can Tucker with cause, they have a lot of money to offer. If Elko says no, attention might turn to former NFL head coach Pat Shurmur and Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi.

On Life Support

Butch Jones, Arkansas State: Losing to Troy 37-3 was an ice bath after a 3-game win streak. There are three wins on the remaining schedule which will save the people who write the checks the $1.5 million it would take to fire him.

Tom Allen, Indiana: Last time out, Maryland whomped the Whose Yours 44-17. This week they get No. 2 Michigan. A 2-8 record seems imminent but there is that $20,400,000 buyout.

Danny Gonzales, New Mexico: The Lobos put the fear of God in Mountain West front runner Wyoming last week, but they eventually lost. New Mexico is 2-3. Will they keep him if he gets to four wins?

Dana Holgerson, Houston: Holgorsen’s 2-3 and chances are the Cougars get pounded by West Virginia this week, which just happens to be his former job. Buzzards are circling even with a $14 million buyout.

Tony Elliott, Virginia: The Fighting Cadavers struggled but beat D1AA Bill and Mary last week. Now they get a bye week before a six-game gauntlet that includes four ranked teams starting October 21 with North Carolina on the road. Elliott is now 2-16 since taking the job but he has a $19 million buyout.

Endangered Species List

Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M: The Aggies lost to Alabama but it was tight. If they lose to Tennessee in Dollywood USA this week, the seat will be red hot. A $77,562,000 buyout would require about 10 phone calls max to raise the cash.

Jeff Hafley, Boston College: BC is 3-3 after nudging Army last week. The next four games (Georgia Tech, UConn, Syracuse and Virginia Tech) could yield three wins and bowl eligibility. That will get another year.

Dino Babers, Syracuse: Hopes were high when the Orange were 4-0. They’re 4-2 now and the last disaster was a 40-7 thrashing at the hands of North Carolina. The Orange get Florida State in Tallahassee this week.

Ken Wilson, Nevada: The Wolfpack is 0-5 with arch-rival UNLV on the agenda. down for the count against UNLV this week. A 2-10 record would be remarkable. That’s how bad Nevada is. The buyout is $1 million.

Dave Aranda, Baylor: One foot is out the door. After that incredible fourth quarter rally for a win at UCF, Da Bears were train wrecked by 25 before the home folks by Texas Tech. Baylor is 2-4 but the remaining schedule could result in four wins, bowl eligibility and a saved job.

Brady Hoke, San Diego State: Four straight losses have the boosters thinking a new coach would look good in this spiffy new stadium. Can the boosters raise Hoke’s nearly $5 million buyout? It’s one thing to want a coach gone, something totally different to have the cash to buy him out.

Mike Bloomgren, Rice: Losing to UConn didn’t help the cause, but there are still winnable games on the schedule. A 6-6 record means one more year.

Mario Cristobal, Miami: The brain fart he had against Georgia Tech will prove costly if Miami misses out on the ACC Championship Game because of an avoidable loss. Why didn’t Mario ask his QB to take a knee and run out the clock? It’s enough that Miami fans are asking if this is the right guy to lead the program.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Four things that have me up late and thinking on a Tuesday night:

1. If Southern Cal whacks Notre Dame in South Bend this weekend, it will be the third loss of the season with a roadie to Clemson still on the schedule. Will Irish fans start calling for Marcus Freeman’s head or will they be patient? If the Irish win, however, Southern Cal’s national championship hopes balloon will burst and it could cost Caleb Williams a back-to-back Heisman.

2. There was all this hype about Joe Milton before the season, some “experts” saying he’s going to make scouts think he’s another Anthony Richardson. Really? Have you seen anything of the sort?

3. Oregon and Washington duke it out Saturday afternoon for supremacy of the Pac-12. The winner will emerge as a favorite to make the College Football Playoff field. The winning quarterback – Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix – could win the Heisman.

4. Speaking of Bo Nix and Michael Penix, how is it that Bo Nix is so good in Oregon when he was so inconsistent at Auburn? How is it that Michael Penix of Tampa never got an offer from Florida in 2018? He signed with Indiana. Florida signed Jalon Jones, who never played a snap at UF but wound up at Charlotte three stops later.