Florida sideline reporter and former player Tate Casey joined WJOX’s Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic on their show “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” to discuss the outlook of the Gator offense entering the clash with Tennessee.

“After Week 1, it [the offense] was a little shell-shocked,” Casey said. “You turn around in Week 2, and you started to see the process take place, what Billy Napier has been preaching with the execution and getting bodies on bodies.”

Casey said that a lot of the struggles against Utah stemmed from self-inflicted wounds, and he cited differences in preparation between the two weeks as a main reason.

“Tennessee is a good team, they’re riding a lot of momentum after the 2022 season,” Casey said. “Florida’s offensive and defensive line are going to have to be really solid tomorrow night. No matter the year, Florida-Tennessee is a line of scrimmage matchup.”

The discussion then shifted to Wisconsin transfer quarterback Graham Mertz, who has thrown for 526 yards and a pair of touchdowns thus far for the Gators.

“Coming into this year, what Florida needed Graham Mertz to do, he’s done,” Casey said. “Florida needed someone who is very capable between the ears, who can progress and make throws and not get you in situations where you turn the ball over.”

Casey cited the shuffling along the offensive line as more of the reason that the offensive performance against Utah was lacking. McElroy agreed, saying that he believes Mertz has been solid thus far and the one interception he threw against the Utes was not as horrible as some make it out to be.