STARKVILLE, MS – Questions surrounding redshirt senior quarterback Graham Mertz’s ability to lead Florida’s offense seemed a bit less frequent than usual in Florida’s matchup against Mississippi State.
In Week 3, chants of “we want DJ [Lagway]” rained down from the student section at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium as Mertz had a difficult time moving the ball down the field for the Gators. This surely wouldn’t be an issue against the Bulldogs, though.
With the program’s back against the wall while facing heavy scrutiny, Mertz and Florida (2-2, 1-1 SEC) put together a dominant offensive performance in a 45-28 victory against Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1 SEC) at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville Saturday.
“I was really impressed offensively,” Florida head coach Billy Napier said. “We had some tempo about us, we played around the quarterback and I thought the quarterbacks did a really good job being the point guard of the offense.”
Fans and analysts alike pegged the matchup as a must-win for head coach Billy Napier, who has faced an abundance of criticism for the lack of production the Gators have put on the field now three years into his tenure at UF.
Perhaps Florida’s matchup against the Bulldogs came at a perfect time, as the Gators continuously executed at a high level against an MSU team fresh off a 41-17 home loss to Toledo.
Although Wade Davis Stadium wasn’t sold out, the infamous cow bells from the Bulldogs’ fanbase proved to be no joke. Florida won the coin toss and chose to receive the ball after halftime. From there, it was game on.
Florida’s defense has been riddled with inconsistent play this season, but redshirt junior edge rusher Shemar James immediately made it clear that he was there to make a statement.
“I think we were able to play more of a complete game [defensively],” redshirt senior defensive back Trikweze Bridges said. “It was a game that we came in and we were all more focused than we have been.”
On the opening drive of the game, the Gators forced a three-and-out as James led the way with three straight tackles.
As both teams struggled to build momentum in the opening quarter, points seemed to be coming at a premium.
However, redshirt senior quarterback Graham Mertz completed three consecutive screen passes before scrambling up the middle for 16 yards to push Florida to the MSU 38-yard line.
Mertz continued to utilize his legs in impressive fashion en route to Florida’s first touchdown of the game. The veteran signal caller surpassed his 2023 rushing total of just 10 yards on a 13-play, 84-yard scoring drive that he eventually capped off with a 3-yard touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore tight end Arlis Boardingham on a flat route to the left side.
A certain energy and swagger has been absent from Florida’s sideline this season, but it wasn’t lacking any as the Gators took a 7-0 lead in a hostile road environment. Nevertheless, this momentum proved to be short-lived.
MSU senior kick returner Davon Booth wasted no time providing a spark of his own on a electric burst down the right sideline on the ensuing kickoff. Booth came away with a 38-yard return to set the Bulldogs up in already-ideal field position.
On 2nd-and-1 at the UF 36-yard line, senior quarterback Blake Shapen delivered a 25-yard strike to redshirt junior tight end Seydou Traore to move the Bulldogs deep into UF territory before Booth punched in a one-yard touchdown on the ground to even the score 7-7.
Accuracy and efficiency was the name of Mertz’s game against MSU. He completed 19 of his 21 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns. He completed 90.5 percent of his passes in the game, setting a new personal best in his Florida career.
“We had a great plan going into the game,” Mertz said. “When you get in that mode where you move fast and have answers for what they’re doing [on defense] it’s always attack mode.”
Entering the second quarter, Mertz continued to show impressive poise and preciseness in the passing game. He completed six straight passes and delivered a touch pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Markus Burke in the left corner of the endzone, giving the Gators a 14-7 edge.
“Burke is a player that flashes,” Napier said. “I always felt strongly that Burke is a very capable player. It’s just about doing it every day and that’s the challenge for a lot of parts of our team.”
Florida forced another three-and-out on Mississippi State’s next offensive possession before capitalizing on an explosive 35-yard punt return by senior wide receiver Chimere Dike.
Just two plays and 34 seconds later, Mertz delivered a 35-yard strike up the right seam to redshirt sophomore tight end Hayden Hansen for his first touchdown of the season, giving the Gators a 21-7 advantage.
Napier stuck to his guns regarding Florida’s two-quarterback system, with Mertz and true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway alternating drives. This approach paid off late in the second quarter for the Gators.
Lagway connected with senior wideout Elijhah Badger on a 27-yard deep ball that put the Gators at the Mississippi State 10-yard line. Just one play later, redshirt junior running back Ja’Kobi Jackson maneuvered his way into the end zone for a 10-yard rushing touchdown to extend Florida’s lead to 28-7.
“He [Lagway] did a great job,” Mertz said. “The coaches, if you just trust the plan, if you execute it, good things happen… It’s our job to move the sticks.”
Running the football at a high level has been an issue for Florida this season, but the running back room showed immense improvement against the Bulldogs. Six rushers combined for 226 yards and two touchdowns for 6.3 yards per carry.
Just as Florida seemed to be taking a substantial 21-point lead into the second half, MSU refused to go away without a fight.
The Gators defensive unit showed flashes of its potential while forcing three three-and-outs in the first half. Nonetheless, the defense wasn’t able to come up with a timely stop late in the second quarter, as the Bulldogs quickly marched downfield to cut UF’s lead to 28-14 with 23 seconds left as Shapen scrambled to his left for a three-yard touchdown on the ground.
There was seemingly a simple, yet effective, gameplan in mind for Mississippi State to open the second half: run the football through the heart of UF’s defense.
Seven straight rushes for 49 yards allowed the Bulldogs to bully their way past the Gators to the UF 33-yard line leading to a 13-yard touchdown reception by MSU junior wideout Jordan Mosely, cutting the Gators’ lead to just seven points.
On the following drive, Florida fans saw a glimpse of redshirt freshman wide receiver Aidan Mizell’s talent. After recording his first career touchdown catch in Week 2, Mizell appeared to have his second after weaving through nearly the entire Mississippi State defense on a short pass that he took 65 yards to the endzone.
“I told Aidan before the game I thought it was going to be a great day for him,” Napier said. “He still made that play. We still got a chance to see [what he can do].”
However, senior running back Montrell Johnson Jr. was flagged for a questionable illegal blind siding call on a block thrown during the play, resulting in the score being called back. Nevertheless, Mertz came right back out and completed a 28-yard crossing route that hit Dike in stride to the Bulldogs’ 17-yard line.
Back-to-back quality rushes by sophomore running back Treyaun Webb took the Gators down to MSU’s one-yard line. Mertz eventually punched it in on a one-yard carry to give Florida a 35-21 edge.
Yet somehow, every time the Gators seemed to possess a comfortable lead throughout the matchup, the Bulldogs seemed to have an answer.
Sophomore linebacker Sharif Denson put together a quality performance for the Gators, totaling seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack throughout Saturday’s action. However, he was also called for two crucial pass interference penalties in the third quarter, with the ladder moving the ball to UF’s three-yard line.
Even after being gifted a 1st-and goal following Denson’s second penalty, MSU was unable to score following a huge goal line stand from Florida’s defense. Shapen would go on to fumble on fourth down in an attempt to pitch the ball in the backfield.
“We knew when they get in the red area, they do a lot of motions,” Bridges said. “It was something I was expecting to do… I was just penetrating the quarterback and forcing him to toss it.”
Despite starting as its own seven-yard line, Florida gave itself some much-needed insurance points on the ensuing possession. Lagway led the Gators on a 10-play, 93-yard scoring drive that ended in redshirt junior offensive tackle Austin Barber recovering a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. The Gators had now secured a 42-21 lead.
As time was winding down in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs were able to muster out one final score on a 10-yard rushing touchdown by junior running back Johnnie Daniels, but it was far from enough to overcome the final score of 45-28.
Florida will have a bye week before it gears up for a home matchup against UCF at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Oct. 5. Kickoff time is still to be determined.
Contact Max Tucker @mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a junior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
