Graham Mertz appears to suffer leg injury after throwing TD pass vs. Tennessee
Graham Mertz appeared to injure himself after throwing a touchdown pass midway through the third quarter against Tennessee on Saturday.
The score gave Florida a 10-0 lead over Tennessee with 7:18 remaining in the third quarter. However, there was immediate concern over Mertz’s health following the play.
Here’s video of the moment when Mertz went down:
Florida QB Graham Mertz throws the TD pass, but grabs his leg in pain after play, was visibly upset hobbling to sideline
That’s not good pic.twitter.com/nRMfAHIhGd
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) October 13, 2024
That certainly appeared to be a non-contact injury that could be serious. Mertz exited the game to be looked at by medical personnel and missed Florida’s next series. He’s questionable to return to the game.
In Mertz’s place, highly-touted freshman DJ Lagway threw an interception on his first series following Mertz’s injury. Lagway has flashed potential this season, but has had issues with turnovers. This was already Lagway’s fourth INT of the season in just 56 pass attempts.
If Mertz can’t continue, Florida will need Lagway to lead the Gators to a big win on the road. Following the interception, Tennessee cashed in with a game-tying 35-yard field goal to make it 10-10 late in the third quarter.
Napier coaches to lose. No more. Get rid of this clown now.
I hope he is ok. DJ is not ready to start. Hopefully it won’t be season ending, though 70% of ACL injuries are noncontact.
game lost in first half with idiotic coaching decisions. Too bad because players competing hard. They deserve better than this clown. Jet sweep on 4th and 3 inches?? Dumbest call ever. Time management at end of half? Total incompetence.
Agree 100%
I hope Mertz is okay, losing him and Montrell proved to be too much. Gator defense played very well, gives me hope for the rest of the season.
This is a big loss. Mertz is actually a really good QB. Sort of proves Napier’s concepts weren’t as far removed from reality as it seemed a few short weeks ago. Florida’s a decent team, but it will hurt if Mertz can’t return.
As big a loss as it would have been a huge win had we been able to see it through. The degree to which Napier’s own deficiencies contributed to the final outcome may or may not have been the most prominent factor in this particular game – but in sorting it all out, it’s clear that the pattern of coaching short falls has been a constant through the 2.5 seasons since his start. That’s a heavy factor in not just razor thin margins, but more importantly in overall confidence that we’ll see a sudden change. At the end of the day, the past is the best predictor of the future.
Come on bro Napier’s coaching deficiencies were a huge part of that loss. Huge I say. Huge in case I didn’t make myself clear. Muy grande, enorme, immenso
I pretty much said that too, Cojo – nevertheless, the overall evidence of his coaching liabilities over the last 2.5 seasons transcends any one game. Creds to CBN for at least preparing the team to play the last two games, but that ironically illuminates his decision-making faults even more.
Dang. Sorry to see him get hurt. Best wishes for speedy recovery.
If we lose Mertz that is big but I think Montrell is more valuable and was definitely missed in the second half and specifically in OT
2 big losses on offense :(