Brian Kelly impressed with Graham Mertz and Florida's offense
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators renew their rivalry with LSU on Saturday night in Death Valley and will be trying to snap a four-game losing streak to the Tigers. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network.
This year marks the 70th all-time meeting between Florida (5-4, 3-3 SEC) and No. 18 LSU (6-3, 4-2). Whoever wins the game gains the edge in the series, as it is currently tied at 33-33-3.
Tigers coach Brian Kelly looked ahead to this matchup following his team’s 42-28 loss to No. 8 Alabama.
“We need to move on,” Kelly said, “turn the page and get ready for Florida. Great rivalry game and an opportunity to play at Tiger Stadium. Winning a football game in the SEC is very difficult to come by. This is a game that has always been closely fought. This will be another great game in Tiger Stadium. Florida’s Tennessee win is a great win.”
Seven of the last nine games between these two programs have been decided by one score, excluding Florida’s losses in 2019 and 2023. UF coach Billy Napier suffered a 45-35 loss in his first meeting against Kelly and the Tigers last year.
The matchup this season will feature two of the SEC’s best quarterbacks in Florida redshirt junior Graham Mertz and LSU senior Jayden Daniels, who leads the league in passing with 2,792 yards, 27 touchdowns and four picks.
Mertz ranks first in the SEC in completion percentage (73.9) and is tied for the fewest interceptions (2). He’s thrown for a career-high 2,409 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Mertz has not thrown an interception in his last 188 pass attempts, which is the second-longest streak in program history behind Tim Tebow’s 203 from 2007-08.
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Mertz has been picked off just once in his last 284 attempts dating back to Week 1, and both of his INTs were tipped passes that hit the receivers in their hands.
“The offensive production by Graham Mertz this year is outstanding,” Kelly said. “The running game is as good as there is in the SEC. The freshmen wide receivers are outstanding. This is a really good offense.”
The Gators are sixth in the SEC in total offense, averaging 409.8 yards per game. The Tigers sit atop the SEC in four of the five major statistical categories (total offense, scoring offense, passing offense, third-down conversions) and rank second in rushing offense.
Saturday will be the toughest test yet for a Florida defense that has allowed an average of 40.3 points and 477.3 yards in its last three games.
“They’re playing a lot of young guys on defense,” Kelly said of the Gators, who started five freshmen against Arkansas. “They are athletic and can run to the football. They’re looking to build on some really good performances they’ve had. This will be a great matchup.”
