Florida Football hoping their QB rotation and improved defense continue vs Vols
![Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) runs out of the tunnel with the team as fireworks and fire shoot out of towers before the start of the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 5, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3488,h_1962,x_0,y_1148/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2F213%2F01j9jgn6g6eq9gvzgc1e.jpg "Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) runs out of the tunnel with the team as fireworks and fire shoot out of towers before the start of the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 5, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]")
As the Florida Gators prepare to face the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers, they will probably be continuing to lean on their QB rotation that has seen Graham Mertz taking two series for every one that DJ Lagway takes.
A night game in Neyland. 🐊 pic.twitter.com/7ffio2BOgr
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 30, 2024
Graham Mertz, the seasoned signal-caller, has been a model of efficiency, completing an impressive 19 of 23 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown in their recent victory over UCF. But it's the introduction of freshman phenom DJ Lagway that's adding an intriguing wrinkle to Florida's offensive scheme. Lagway's perfect 4-for-4 performance, accumulating 50 yards in limited action, hints at a dynamic one-two punch that Tennessee's defense hasn't faced this season.
Tennessee is coming off a shocking 19-14 loss to Arkansas, where their offense sputtered and their defense showed unexpected vulnerabilities. The Volunteers' quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, struggled to find his footing, completing just 57% of his passes and failing to find the end zone through the air or on the ground.
Florida coach Billy Napier said after the UCF game, "I think defensively, to hold this group to 108 yards rushing and to have really got after the quarterback a little bit, two big fourth down stops and we were really good on third down, you know, so I think defensively, took some steps in the right direction."
Indeed, Florida's defense sacked UCF's quarterback five times and limited their ground game to just 108 yards on 40 carries. If they can replicate this performance against a shaken Tennessee offense, the Gators might just pull off the upset of the season.
There is also the backdrop of the history of this matchup. Florida holds a commanding 32-21 lead in the all-time series, including a 26-8 record since 1990. While Tennessee snapped a five-game losing streak in 2022 with a narrow 38-33 victory in Knoxville, the Gators promptly reasserted their dominance with a 29-16 win in Gainesville last year.
Tennessee is a 17-point favorite, a spread that would typically spell doom for the underdog. But in the pressure cooker of SEC football, and given how this past Saturday went for multiple favorites, anything is possible.
feed