Quarterback Graham Mertz is scheduled to make his first start for the Gators on Thursday night at Utah. (Photo: Jordan Herald/UAA Communications)
Gators Adjust on Fly Due to Idalia
Monday, August 28, 2023 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Graham Mertz grew up in the Midwest and played at Wisconsin before transferring to Florida.
Mertz knows snow. He knows tornadoes. What about hurricanes?
"I have no idea what it's like,'' Mertz said following Monday night's practice. "Any time people's lives are at danger, your thoughts and prayers are for them in that, especially in this community. I've loved every second of it and blessed to be here. I just hope everybody stays safe."
As Tropical Storm Idalia churned in the Gulf of Mexico and toward the Florida coast on Monday, the Gators announced they would leave for Thursday night's season opener at Utah on Tuesday, a day earlier than their original plan. The team is practicing Tuesday in Gainesville, then flying to Dallas for an overnight stay. The Gators will then fly to Salt Lake City on Wednesday and arrive in Utah around the same time as originally scheduled. Gators head coach Billy Napier. (Photo: Gabriella Whisler/UAA Communications)
Idalia developed into a hurricane overnight and is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday. The UF campus will close at noon on Tuesday and remain closed Wednesday.
Unlike Mertz, Gators head coach Billy Napier has dealt with the impact of hurricanes and tropical weather throughout his coaching career. He experienced similar situations in his four seasons as head coach at the University of Louisiana.
The altered travel schedule adds another twist to an already unique road trip. This is the first time in 31 years the Gators are playing a regular-season game on a Thursday night, and when coupled with December's Las Vegas Bowl, the first time in the 117-year history of Florida football that the Gators are playing back-to-back games in a time zones two or more hours back of Gainesville.
Napier said the decision to leave a day early makes sense with the situation at hand.
"I think it's a combination of things,'' he said. "If you're going to go that direction, obviously, we've got a direct flight there [to Dallas], you get into logistics relative to when the plane can depart. And then we've got people in that area relative to practice sites. Hotel was a big logistical issue relative to where to go. But, there's no doubt the altitude [in Utah] was a factor relative to the research there. So, we're on schedule in that regard. This could end up being a positive. We break the flight up. We get the players and the staff into Dallas, get a good night's rest, a little extra focus, and then obviously get to spend some more time together."
The Gators have played Utah twice in program history, but Thursday night's game marks their first time at Rice-Eccles Stadium, which is more than 4,600 feet above sea level. The altitude was a major storyline prior to Monday. And then the fast-forming Idalia blew in.
"Certainly having been to Fort Myers this past spring, there's no question that we understand the implications,'' Napier said, referencing the devastating damage caused by Hurricane Ian in September 2022. "I do want to thank our administration for their planning. Obviously it's been an interesting day, but they've done a great job."
