Quarterback Graham Mertz reacts after scoring his first rushing TD with the Gators in Saturday night's win over McNeese. (Photo: Molly Kaiser/UAA Communications)
Mertz-Milton II Subplot Adds to Annual Gators-Vols Clash
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Graham Mertz's memory of that night three years ago is marked mainly by where the world was in 2020.
The coronavirus pandemic was in full bloom in November 2020, and after a breakout within the team canceled back-to-back games, Mertz and his Wisconsin teammates headed to Michigan Stadium for a Saturday night showdown against the Wolverines. Mertz was set to make his second career start. Michigan featured a young hot-shot quarterback named Joe Milton III, a South Florida native with a big arm and breakaway speed.
With COVID-19 restrictions in place, the Big House was eerily quiet. In a stadium that holds more than 107,000 fans, the announced attendance was 605.
"That was odd," Mertz said this week.
Equally strange for the Wolverines was their 49-11 loss. Wisconsin raced to a 28-0 halftime lead, Michigan's largest deficit at home since Michigan Stadium opened in 1927. Mertz departed with a win and better performance in the matchup of up-and-coming quarterbacks. He finished 12 of 22 for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Milton went 9 of 19 for 98 yards and two interceptions.
The two have traveled many miles and traversed the peaks and valleys of the high-profile position since their last meeting. Mertz and Milton meet again on another Saturday night — this time with a full house expected — when No. 11 Tennessee (2-0) visits Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to face the Gators (1-1) in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
While the quarterback matchup differs from a season ago when Anthony Richardson and Hendon Hooker traded blows in an offensive shootout at Neyland Stadium, Mertz and Milton deliver an intriguing subplot to one of the biggest games in the brief tenure of Gators second-year head coach Billy Napier.
The Gators enter the game unranked. The Vols have shown drastic improvement under third-year head coach Josh Heupel, who has a 20-8 record since leaving UCF following the 2020 season. And Mertz and Milton, older, wiser and at different schools than when they first crossed paths, meet once more in a big-time conference rival game.
After transferring from Wisconsin, Mertz has adjusted comfortably to his new surroundings, passing for a career-high 333 yards in Florida's loss at Utah to open the season. He has completed 73.8 percent of his passes (45 of 61) with two scores and an interception. Mertz's 526 yards passing ranks second in school history behind Shane Matthews (590) for a Gators quarterback in his first two games. Meanwhile, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Milton, who has a build and skill-set similar to Richardson, has passed for four scores (42 of 63), 429 yards and no interceptions. Milton is a running threat, too, and has three rushing touchdowns.
Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III is a "freak of nature," says Gators head coach Billy Napier. (Photo: Caitie McMekin/Knoxville News-Sentinel via USA TODAY Sports Network)
What Mertz remembers most about his rival counterpart is what they talked about over the summer when Milton wowed competitors at the Manning Passing Academy with his arm strength. Sound familiar? Richardson did the same at the 2022 event. Milton also likes to perform standing backflips.
"I think the big thing I just saw live was his arm,'' Mertz said. "Everybody talks about his arm, but it's live. It comes out hot."
Napier summed up Milton this way: "The quarterback is a freak of nature. I mean, he's very, very talented. Not only can throw it, but can run it. His ability to rush the ball may be even more effective and more willing than the last guy [Hooker]. They're plug-and-play."
Tennessee opened the season with a win over Virginia and then won at home last week against Austin Peay. And similar to Hooker at the wheel, Milton directs Heupel's up-tempo spread offense, giving the dual-threat Milton plenty of freedom to throw or pass.
Mertz plays the position with a different style, a traditional drop-back passer and game manager who is being asked to protect the ball and take shots when they are there.
Mertz, part of the 2019 signing class, and Milton, a member of the 2018 class, were both four-star recruits, according to On3.com. Mertz was ranked higher, the No. 4 quarterback in the country in his class, while Milton ranked 17th.
Tennessee linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary was at Michigan Stadium that day three years ago, too. He was Michigan's linebackers coach and understands the challenges Mertz creates for an opposing defense.
"He is a super, super talented kid," Jean-Mary said this week. "Really good arm, really good pocket presence. Shows the poise and shows the pocket presence of a big-time quarterback. And the thing that I think he's done in the first two games he's shown the ability to pick up yards with his legs, which I know he's not known for. So that adds an extra element to him."
Mertz is eager for his first taste of an SEC game. It's a game headlined by a rivalry once the best in the SEC.
And this year, a quarterback rematch from another time and place.
"That was a while ago,'' Mertz said. "I have been blessed to play in a lot of different rivalry games in the Big Ten."
