The Florida Gators had one of their best performances of the season on Saturday, despite losing to the Tennessee Volunteers. However, they suffered a massive injury. During the third quarter of the game, quarterback Graham Mertz threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to give the Gators a 10-0 lead. However, he suffered a non-contact injury and hobbled to the sideline after the play.
Is Graham Mertz out for the season?
Matt Zenitz of 247Sports and CBS Sports is reporting that the non-contact injury is serious enough to end Graham Mertz's season. While the actual injury is still yet to be announced, this is a major loss for the Florida Gators.
Graham Mertz had been playing well this season, splitting time with backup quarterback DJ Lagway. Mertz went 72-of-94 (76.6%) for 791 yards with six touchdown passes and two interceptions, rushing 18 times for 56 yards (3.1 yards per attempt) and a touchdown.
This could be Mertz's last college football game as he is a redshirt senior and likely would not be granted a medical redshirt due to the amount he has played this season.
What to expect of the Florida Gators without Graham Mertz?
The Florida Gators are going to look a bit different offensively without a veteran under center like Graham Mertz. Luckily, the Gators have been playing a two-quarterback system this season under coach Billy Napier. As a result, the offense should not have chemistry issues and we get a glimpse of Florida's future a little earlier than anticipated.
Sitting at 3-3, it is going to be difficult for the program to make a bowl game with the schedule they have remaining. They still need at least three more wins to be bowl-eligible and below is the remaining schedule for the Florida Gators with the team's current AP ranking.
- 10/19: vs Kentucky Wildcats
- 11/2: vs 5 Georgia Bulldogs
- 11/9: at 1 Texas Longhorns
- 11/16: vs 8 LSU Tigers
- 11/23: vs 18 Ole Miss Rebels
- 11/30: at Florida State Seminoles
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