Has Florida turned a corner with Graham Mertz following success vs South Carolina?

When Florida tossed Graham Mertz into the waves, he swam. On Tuesday, Gators Online’s Nick de la Torre evaluated Florida’s offensive future following Mertz’s breakout performance against South Carolina.

“It might be how Florida has to play to win games,” de la Torre told On3’s Andy Staples. “When you look at Arkansas, Florida State and LSU — good luck at that track meet. I think [Florida] did discover something.”

In Florida’s 41-39 win over South Carolina, UF head coach Billy Napier cut Mertz loose. The transfer QB responded accordingly. In the triumph, Mertz threw for a career-best 423 yards and three touchdowns. He did not throw a single interception in the contest.

For reference, Mertz’s previous season-high passing performance was when he threw for 333 yards in the team’s campaign-opening loss against Utah. De la Torre believes the spark is exactly what Florida’s offense needed.

“If I was a highly paid defensive coordinator, not trying to get fired to collect my buyout. I would have gone into a game against Florida saying if Graham Mertz beats us with his arm, that’s fine,” de la Torre said. “We’re gonna stop the running game. We’re gonna limit Ricky Pearsall and if Graham Mertz wins a game on his arm, we can live with that. But, now, he showed you that he can.”

Will Graham Mertz meet the pressure?

Florida will need Mertz’s jaw-dropping passing to become the standard. In the back half of the season, the Gators will face off against four ranked opponents, each with potent passing games. Florida’s upcoming challenge will be Mertz’s personal litmus test.

On Saturday, the Gators will square off against No. 1 Georgia. The Bulldogs only allow 171.1 passing yards per game, the ninth-least in the country. Georgia has won the last two matchups between the SEC East programs.

While Florida’s odds of downing the perennial powerhouse are low, the Gators are certainly riding a second wind. After Florida’s win over South Carolina, Mertz recounted Napier’s message to him.

“Coach came up to us right when we got in there,” Mertz said, “and he was like, ‘For two guys who transferred here, that whole experience is wild.’ He hugged us and he was like, ‘That’s why you come to Florida.’

“I’m blessed, I’m proud, I’m excited every day I wake up — like I tell you guys every week — to be here, to be a part of this university. So, we’re fired up, but there’s a lot of work we’ve got to do.”

Mertz and his fellow Gators will square off against Georgia at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on CBS.