The Florida Gators outpaced the Mississippi State Bulldogs, securing a decisive 45-28 victory and showcased the Gators’ dynamic two-quarterback system, with senior Graham Mertz leading the charge and freshman DJ Lagway making an impressive contribution.
Mertz, who started the game on fire going 14-for-15, praised the team’s efficiency and the coaching staff’s game plan. He highlighted the effectiveness of their RPO (run-pass option) plays, which kept the offense in “attack mode” throughout the game.
The Gators’ offense demonstrated its depth, with multiple skill players stepping up in the absence of Tre Wilson. Players like Marcus Burke, Aidan Mizell, Chimere Dike, Tank Hawkins, and Hayden Hansen all made significant contributions.
On the defensive side, sophomore inside linebacker Grayson Howard acknowledged the team’s improved performance while noting areas for improvement. The defense’s emphasis on starting fast and getting off the field early paid dividends, complementing the offense’s explosive start that put up 28 points in the first half.
As the Gators head into their bye week, they’ll look to build momentum and address any remaining issues, setting the stage for the rest of the season.
Players Graham Mertz, Austin Barber, and Grayson “Pup” Howard discuss the win over Mississippi State.
Graham Mertz, Senior Quarterback
On the two QB system doing pretty well today…
“Yeah, yeah it did. I was talking to DJ, I thought we were just really efficient. I was proud of him. We had a great plan going into the game. I thought we did a good job of seeing the field today. Kind of a lot of plays for RPO answers and stuff like that, so when you get in that mode where you can move fast and have answers to what they’re doing, it’s always on attack mode, so I thought we did a good job.”
On skill players stepping up in the absence of Tre Wilson…
“I think that’s the biggest thing, to me, is the amount of guys we had out there. Think about it, you had Marcus Burke, Aidan Mizell, [Chimere Dike], [Tank Hawkins], you had all these guys out there… Hayden Hansen. Guys just stepped. They did their job and that’s what we’ve been harping on the whole time, is if you just go out there and do your job, it’s going to work.”
On starting 14-for-15 and if it reminded him of his five TD game vs. Illinois in 2020…
“Ugh… not really. I mean, honestly, I thought our scout team during the week did a great job of giving us a mixed bag of looks, so I felt extremely prepared. And I go out there every game and it’s my job to see the defense, read the defense and put the ball where it’s supposed to go… They were flying around this week and I think if you want to have a successful team, your offensive, defensive scouts and special teams scouts are a big part of that.”
On how big it was for the offense to string together consecutive TD drives today…
“Yeah, I think it was big. I think football is a game of momentum and momentum shifts the entire time. So, I think for us, there were a few drives we could have done a better job of just getting a first down and getting the thing rolling. When you go three-and-out it puts the defense in a tough spot and it just makes the score a little bit different. I think for us, we look back at the game there’s opportunities we had that we didn’t take advantage of that we’re going to need to take advantage of, for sure.”
On Napier putting in Lagway after Mertz led two-consecutive TD drives…
“I think he did a great job. Like I said earlier, we have… our coaches, the way that they prep us through the week, if you just trust the plan and you execute it, good things happen. I just told DJ, I was like, you went out there and you executed, you did a great job. What was he, 7-for-7? That’s good football. That’s what it leads to, so it’s our job to move the sticks. I was proud of him… The communication was great, we were talking to each other about what we saw out there, different looks, stuff like that. So, it was really good.”
Austin Barber, Redshirt Junior Offensive Lineman
On the last time he scored a touchdown…
“Probably Pop Warner when I was nine years old… just a little overdue.”
On how important it was to be heads up on a touchdown play like that…
“My coach always told us to chase the ball. You see the ball, get on the ball. We rep it a lot. I saw it on the ground and did my best to just get on it as fast as I can.”
On what the fight was like in the pile to grab the ball for touchdown…
“I had it the whole time… the whole entire time.”
On what it is like to block for both Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway…
“They bring two elements to the game and we definitely saw it today. They both do a great job with communication and seeing the field and telling us different points and checks and stuff like that, which is really good. I have full confidence in Graham and DJ. I trust them… whoever is on the field, I think will be really good. It’s really fun blocking for both these guys.”
Grayson Howard, Sophomore Inside Linebacker
On the defensive performance…
“We did good. We did better. We have a lot of things to fix and that is what practice is for. We have a bye week next week, so that will be good for us. We can watch everything and break it down.”
On Jack Pyburn’s road back and performance in today’s game…
“Me and Jack’s relationship goes way back. He’s from Jacksonville as well, so me and Jack were close in high school. I have always known how hard he’s worked. Coming to Florida, he was big influence on why I came here as well. To see how hard he worked in high school, to see how hard he worked to get back, his process was just perfect. He was in there every day, in the training room every day, running every day just make sure he could get back with his brothers. Hard work pays off and he showed it. He’s a great player and he’s a great teammate.”
On the defense’s emphasis on starting fast and getting off the field early in the game…
“That’s what you want a defense to do. The offense came out and balled. When they give you that comfortable feeling, when they’re scoring, scoring, scoring, they gave us 28 in the first half, you can’t ask for better than that. Just having their back and making sure that we keep feeding them the ball, that’s what we’re going for.”
On managing tempo being a struggle at the end of second quarter…
“Tempo is tempo. They go really fast and they’re not the only team that we will play this year that is going to go really fast, so we will practice throughout the week with tempo and everything like that. The drive got the best of us but I feel like we handled tempo really well throughout the game.”
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