GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In the 33rd start of his career, Gators quarterback
Graham Mertz threw for a career-high 333 yards. The neatly packaged symmetry might have had a shelf life on the internet if the Gators had won.
But in the wake of Florida's dreary 24-11 loss to the Utes, Mertz's UF debut was little more than a blip on the radar for Gators fans venting on social media.
Still, Mertz was not the problem against the Utes.
"I was pleased with Graham,'' Gators head coach
Billy Napier said. "I think there were a handful of plays that he would like to have back and a few early that were a little inaccurate at times, but he made a lot of plays, too. For the most part, out there, the guy was doing what we want him to do."
The transfer from Wisconsin completed 31 of 44 passes with a touchdown and interception. He became only the fourth quarterback in school history to throw for 300 yards, 30 completions and a 70-percent completion rate, joining
Rex Grossman (2002, Georgia),
Tim Tebow (2010, Cincinnati) and
Kyle Trask (three times).
Mertz faced constant pressure and was sacked five times, and he received little support from the ground game. Mertz was disappointed following eight months of intense work to prepare for the opener.
"It is a blessing to wear this logo, to wear these colors, and when you don't get done what you want to get done, it hurts,'' Mertz said. "I think that's where we are at right now. The only thing we can do now is learn from it and move forward. We've got a long season, and there is a lot of tape on there that is controllable stuff.
"The accountability will be raised after this."
Mertz has another shot at his first win as Florida's starting quarterback on Saturday when McNeese visits The Swamp. Since arriving from Wisconsin in January, Mertz has worked diligently to learn the offense, connect with his teammates and reboot a career that stalled after three seasons as the Badgers' starter.
Offensive lineman
Austin Barber is confident the offense is in good hands with Mertz at the controls.
"Graham did a great job staying composed,'' Barber said. "I know the offensive line didn't help him. I think he just handled it really well. Came back to the next play, [told] us to, 'Let's go, keep working.' He never pointed a finger.
"When a leader like that takes ownership in stuff like that, it's really good."
HEAR ME OUT
The start of Gators cornerback
Jason Marshall Jr.'s junior season did not go how he envisioned. On Utah's first offensive play, receiver
Money Parks got past Marshall, who relied on help from safety
R.J. Moten. When Moten was late, Parks caught a deep pass from
Bryson Barnes in the middle of the field and raced for a 70-yard score.
Later in the first half, Marshall and teammate
Eugene Wilson III were flagged for both being on the field simultaneously in their No. 3 jerseys, a no-no. And, of course, Florida lost.
Jason Marshall Jr.
Marshall Jr. responded to online criticism of the team over the weekend on the social media app X, formerly Twitter.
His message was simple.
"Enough said,'' he posted, along with a handshake emoji.
Marshall was asked about the response on Monday.
"It's a lot of media and things like that. Sometimes you get caught up in looking at it, hearing what they say, seeing what they say," Marshall said. "Just taking that in, grasping it. Enough said, you know. Now, it's time to get back to work.
"That was basically like a self-motivating thing."
ROAD TRIPPING
Florida's first true nonconference road game outside the Sunshine State in 32 years (1991 at Syracuse) will be remembered for more than a disappointing loss.
The Gators left a day early due to incoming Hurricane Idalia, flying to Dallas-Fort Worth and spending the night before traveling to Salt Lake City on Wednesday. The Gators slept over after Thursday night's game and flew out of Salt Lake City on Friday morning. However, inclement weather knocked power out at Gainesville Regional Airport as the Gators neared home Friday afternoon, forcing the team to land in Jacksonville.
Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. (Photo: Maddie Washburn)
Once on the ground in Jacksonville, the team waited on the plane for 90 minutes while buses made the trek from Gainesville. Once aboard the team buses, the Florida traveling party arrived back in Gainesville around 6:30 ET, capping a nine-hour return trip home from when the Gators boarded the busses in Utah.
"The trip back was a lot of just thinking about the game, trying to figure out what went wrong in some aspects,'' Barber said. "I think a lot of people were trying just to soak in what happened, watch the film on the plane back, just learn from it."
According to
AirmilesCalculator.com, the Gators traveled 3,235 air miles from Gainesville to Texas to Utah to Jacksonville on their season-opening journey.
CASTELL, WILSON HIGHLIGHT NEWCOMERS
The Gators showed how young they were when 14 true freshmen made their collegiate debut at Utah.
Safety
Jordan Castell started and finished with seven tackles. Castell played 43 snaps, more than any other freshman.
Freshman safety Jordan Castell records one of his seven tackles at Utah. (Photo: Maddie Washburn/UAA Communications)
Meanwhile, Wilson made the most impact offensively, catching two passes for 24 yards and adding a rush for nine yards. Wilson also caught a 2-point reception following Mertz's touchdown pass to
Caleb Douglas in the fourth quarter.
Wilson was on the field for 23 snaps and will continue to receive playing time.
"He proved to be a really good competitor on game day," Napier said. "There's no doubt he's really unique with the ball. We got it to him, and he's capable. I think he'll be out there running around for the Gators in the future."
REMEMBERING HOLLAND
Former Gators assistant coach
Lawson Holland joined
Steve Spurrier's staff in 1995 and stayed with him for the next nine seasons, including the final two in the NFL with the Washington Redskins.
Lawson Holland
When Spurrier departed Washington, Holland got out of coaching and spent time as a fundraiser at Coastal Carolina University and as head of the sports tourism program at Horry-Georgetown (S.C.) Technical College.
When Holland was a finalist for the athletic director's job at Coastal Carolina in 2009, Spurrier vouched for his longtime assistant.
"Enthusiasm, camaraderie, fellowship,'' Spurrier said of Holland's greatest attributes. "Those are his strong suits right there. The players really enjoyed playing for him and his enthusiasm every day. He'd be super at fundraising and hiring the right coaches."
Holland, in declining health,
died late last month. He would have turned 71 on Sept. 29.
EXTRA POINTS
The Gators limited Utah to 270 yards of total offense in the debut of defensive coordinator
Austin Armstrong. The Gators limited only one opponent (South Carolina, 237) to fewer yards last season … Gators receiver
Ricky Pearsall, who led the team with eight catches, has now caught a pass in 29 consecutive games … Florida's visit to Salt Lake City was its farthest trip west for a regular-season game since a 19-19 tie at Southern Cal on Sept. 10, 1983 ... Former Gators defensive lineman
Gervon Dexter Jr., who is in his rookie season with the Bears,
has filed a lawsuit to nullify a NIL contract he signed while at Florida ... Duke's
Mike Elko became the first Blue Devils coach to beat a team ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll since Spurrier led the Blue Devils to a home win over No. 7 Clemson in 1989. Duke upset No. 9 Clemson on Monday night.
