GAINESVILLE — Formerly prone to indecision, inaccuracy and too many interceptions at Wisconsin, new Florida quarterback Graham Mertz has found his groove with the Gators.
His passing has been surgical, deciphering of defenses clinical and leadership critical. Mertz’s 77.8% completion rate ranks 5th nationally and is 20.5% higher than in 2022 with the Badgers, yet could be higher.
When Mertz misses a throw, it’s almost a surprise these days.
“He’s playing at a high level,” coach Billy Napier said Monday “If you charted the incompletions, some of those are bad design and some of those are drops — or maybe he’s throwing it away because of the rush.
“He’s playing really efficiently for us.”
Mertz, who transferred in January, clearly is in the proverbial zone as the No. 22 Gators (3-1, 1-0 SEC) prepare for Saturday’s visit to Kentucky (4-0, 1-0).
“I always talk about getting in the flow,” he said Monday. “I don’t know why I got a flash of the Elf movie: ‘You ain’t in the flow. You’ve got to get out of the flow.’ I don’t know why that popped in my head.
“I think it’s a flow thing.”
The 22-year-old’s ability to remain light-hearted while playing his best football is not lost on Napier.
“I see a guy who’s having fun playing football,” the 44-year-old coach said. “He’s voiced that to me. Man, this is unbelievable. It makes me want to play again, to be quite honest. He’s just in the moment.
“He’s enjoying it.”
Mertz’s teammates have tried to follow their quarterback’s lead.
“That guy loves football,” senior receiver Ricky Pearsall said. “He’s always in the building. He’s always studying. He’s always asking questions. He’s just one of those guys that really wants it that bad.
“Hard work pays off obviously with what he’s been doing on the field.”
Mertz also has not completed passes at a school-record rate alone.
He said Pearsall’s one-handed snag as a Charlotte defender arrived was the best catch Mertz ever has seen during a career featuring 544 completions.
“Hard not to be,” he said. “That was a wild catch. That’s got to be catch of the year.”
Mertz rarely requires as much from his receivers, throwing a catchable ball usually while they’re in stride.
Even so, Mertz would like to attack down the field a little bit more and expand the Gators offense. His 8.8 yards per attempt ranks 33rd nationally yet UF is just 85th with 12 completions of 20 yards or longer.
“It’s easy to want to force the ball down the field into double coverage, but it’s not smart,” he said.
Forcing throws was Mertz’s M.O. in Madison, where he threw 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions during 32 starts, 19 of them Wisconsin wins. His only interception in 2023 bounced off the mitts of the sure-handed Pearsall during a season-opening loss at Utah.
Mertz’s continued success could hinge on improved protection up front.
During a 22-7 win against Charlotte, the 49ers recorded 3 sacks, 2 quarterback hurries and delivered some punishment. On Monday, Mertz did not even notice the massive bruise on the back of his left arm, chalking it up to price of playing quarterback.
Kentucky’s defensive-minded coach Mark Stoops is sure to have a plan in place for Mertz.
A week after Anthony Richardson looked like a Heisman candidate during a 2022 season-opening win against Utah, Stoops brought him back to earth during a 26-16 Wildcats win in the Swamp. Richardson, in just his third career start, finished 14 of 35 for 143 yards and 2 interceptions while rushing for just 4 yards.
Mertz, now 23-12 as a starter, is not intimidated and expects to be prepared for whatever comes his way.
“I’m confident I’ve seen a lot of defenses,” he said. “It’s like a chess game. It’s a blast.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
