Florida football's offense has come to life. Will it continue against stiff Georgia defense?
Now comes the hard part.
The Florida football offense feasted on two of the worst pass defenses in the SEC before the bye week, averaging 39.5 points and 351.5 yards passing in back-to-back wins over Vanderbilt and South Carolina.
More deep shots were taken, and Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz continued his feel-good season by throwing for a career-high 423 yards in piloting a 41-39 comeback win at South Carolina that sent Gamecock fans home disappointed.
Another rivarly test: Florida football coach Billy Napier gets another shot to knock off a rival, No. 1 Georgia
Early kickoff: Time set for Florida football-Arkansas game on Nov. 4 at The Swamp
“I’m having a blast,” Mertz said.
The question remains, how long can the blast last?
UF will face its stiffest defensive challenge to date when it takes on No. 1 Georgia in Jacksonville on Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS). Georgia ranks sixth nationally in total defense (262.6 ypg allowed) and first in the country in third down defense, allowing opponents to only convert 23.6 percent on the money down.
The defensive minds of eighth year Georgia coach Kirby Smart and former UF coach turned UGA co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will concoct a scheme to try to throw Mertz and UF’s offense off schedule.
“Definitely multiple in what they do as far as fronts, coverages, pressures,” Mertz said. “I think they're physical up front. They're fast. You see that on tape. They fly around, make plays. Like I said, physical defense.”
For a comparison, Mertz, a transfer from Wisconsin, said Georgia’s 2023 defense reminded him of Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson-led defense he faced in 2021. In that game, Mertz was held to 115 yards and 1 TD pass and sacked three times in a 38-17 loss to the Wolverines.
“Across the board, (Georgia) plays a brand of football on defense that you can see when you're watching film,” Mertz said.
More receiving threats emerging for UF football offense
For the last season and a half, opposing defensive gameplans against Florida centered on shading extra coverage to wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. There was no receiving threat at tight end, and secondary receiving threats Justin Shorter and Xzavier Henderson were inconsistent and injury-prone last season.
But the emergence of true freshman wide receiver Eugene Wilson III and redshirt freshman tight end Arlis Boardingham have sparked UF's passing game in recent weeks. Boardingham has 12 catches for 154 yards and 3 TDs over his last two games. Wilson has 15 catches for 147 yards and 1 TD.
“Playing well at quarterback is certainly a big part of the puzzle, right, if you're going to put this thing together,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “I think the key is going to be that we play well around the quarterback. I think at each position group, there's unique challenges relative to the plan that will be really, really important.”
That means UF’s inconsistent offensive line will need to block, and the running back duo of Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne need to run hard and do little things like picking up blitzes. But the development of Wilson and Boardingham has freed up Pearsall to make even more plays. Facing more single coverage against South Carolina, Pearsall had a career day with 10 catches for 166 yards and 1 TD.
“It makes our offense a little bit more scarier, to be honest,” Pearsall said. “We got a lot of guys that are very versatile, can strike at any moment. Just having guys by your side that can do that, the ability to do that, just makes us a scary offense, more explosive offense.”
Graham Mertz-Ricky Pearsall bond extends beyond the field
Mertz and Pearsall took to the field for some extra work on their day off during the bye week. Mertz has called Pearsall “the best route runner in the country” and the two have established a chemistry that dates to when Mertz first arrived on campus as a transfer last January.
“Rick is my boy,” Mertz said. “Ever since I got down here, we've both been on the same mission. I think I can say that about a lot of guys on this team, that's why we're so close. But, yeah, Rick is my guy.”
Pearsall and Mertz spent the bye weekend together watching college football with their girlfriends on Saturday night.
“He's actually one of my closest friends now,” Pearsall said. “I appreciate him as a player, as a person. He's just a great individual. On and off the field, he's the same human.”
If Pearsall (44 catches, 619 yards, 3 TDs) and Mertz (1,897 yards, 12 TDs to 2 interceptions) can keep the chemistry rolling for another afternoon in Jacksonville, and other targets continue to emerge … well Florida fans can dream big, right? But Saturday’s matchup against Georgia will show whether UF’s offense has arrived in year two under Napier or if more work needs to be done to get it to compete at an elite level.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida Gators offense gets big-time test against No. 1 UGA Bulldogs
