It’s a long jump from there to here, a belief of sorts that’s still difficult to comprehend.

But it is something to hold onto.

Florida coach Billy Napier believes his uneven offense of the past year and a half, of 19 confounding games, suddenly found it 2 weeks ago against South Carolina. The Gators scored 41 points and recorded almost 500 total yards.

The offensive line is healthy and a chemistry has formed. Receivers are getting open and catching the ball.

And the quarterback, have we mentioned Graham Mertz? Yeah, the most criticized guy at Florida in years — before he ever stepped on the field in Gainesville — is ready for a breakout second half of the season after throwing for 423 yards and 3 TDs against the Gamecocks.

“I think what we learned is (Mertz) is a very capable player,” Napier said Monday at his weekly press conference. “I think when given the opportunity, if we can protect him, if we can create separation, if we can win individual matchups, we’ve got a (well) designed play, he can get it to the right guy.”

Let me translate for Saturday’s game against No. 1 Georgia: If the process goes smoothly and there are no hiccups, and Napier has the right play call against the No. 1 defense in the No. 1 conference in college football, Mertz will throw it to the right guy.

See? Simple.

I can almost guarantee you that the process won’t go smoothly Saturday against 2-time defending national champion Georgia in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. What Napier did learn from a win over South Carolina — against the worst pass defense in the SEC — is Mertz can make 2nd- and 3rd-level throws when just about everything is perfect.

Which is to say Mertz is in the same category as nearly every FBS quarterback given the same circumstances.

But you win big games — games of significance, rivalry games — with a quarterback who can make plays when everything isn’t perfect. When the pocket is dirty. When your quarterback is rushed and footwork is wrong and his mechanics are off — but he still makes a play.

Then again, if you’re Napier, what else can you preach? Especially after the track record laid last season.

Napier’s first season in Gainesville was played with an uber-talented quarterback who had 1 career start before learning a brand new offense with a new head coach and position coach.

Not only was everything new for Anthony Richardson, it was new as the starting quarterback, too. Every time he played, he was learning on the job.

Defenses, blitz packages, combo coverages. What he could get away with, and what he couldn’t.

Big games and big losses, and recovering mentally and persevering from both. Dealing with injury and protecting his body.

And when everything is new — with a new staff that tore it down to the studs and rebuilt it — uncertainty rules. That’s why Richardson played so well against Utah, then so poorly a week later against Kentucky.

Why he looked like Superman some games and a flawed mortal in others. Why Florida never hit its stride offensively because the Gators may as well have been playing a true freshman.

So when Mertz arrived at Florida amid questions and criticism, Napier focused on experience. Mertz had 32 career starts at Wisconsin, and even though he never played to the level of his blue-chip recruiting ranking, nothing on or off the field would surprise him.

Napier had something he could work with. He had, more than anything, a quarterback who had seen it all — and wouldn’t be fazed by anything.

All Florida had to do was put pieces around him to make him unique.

That process started slow because of injury, and frankly, because some guys develop quicker than others. In that scenario, it’s nearly impossible to get the preparation needed to make a difference on Saturdays.

So maybe, as Napier insists, it simply is a matter of everything falling into place — and not that Florida played a horrific pass defense at South Carolina.

Maybe practices are sharper and more focused now. Maybe it’s complete 1st teams getting critical prep time with each other, instead of working with (and against) backups.

Center Kingsley Eguakun has dealt with an ankle injury much of the season, but appears to be ready to go against Georgia. The rest of the offensive line is healthy, and 2 key transfers — G Micah Mazzccua and OT Damieon George Jr. — have settled in after rough starts to the season.

Freshman WR Trey Wilson is a legit threat, and redshirt freshman TE Arlis Boardingham has earned the right to play more. Sophomore TB Trevor Etienne, who had 172 yards rushing against Tennessee, is fully healthy.

Sophomore WR Kahleil Jackson has figured it out, and has produced 3 straight strong games. Ricky Pearsall is having a career season.

“People don’t understand this is a developmental game,” Napier said. “You don’t just show up on Saturday. There’s a ton of work done. Certain position groups get depleted, it affects the entire team. Continuity helps. The ability for players to be available so we can practice at a certain intensity.”

Maybe that long jump from there to here for the Florida offense isn’t so hard to believe after all.

One thing is certain: It won’t take long to find out against Georgia.