Utah football: 3 reasons the Utes will beat Florida in Week 1
![Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) walks off the field during fall football practice at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, August 5, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fcee5fd32669d342e986635922001e8e012a768efe6dc3f32ce5c6347ce228575.jpg "Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) walks off the field during fall football practice at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, August 5, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]")
1. Graham Mertz is not good in big games vs. ranked opponents
Simply put, Graham Mertz is terrible in big games.
In fact, he faced 10 ranked opponents in his career at Wisconsin and he didn’t really fare well in any of those contests. His highest passing yardage in one of those games was just 240 yards and he never threw more than one touchdown.
Actually, he’s averaged just 159.7 yards per game against ranked opponents with six touchdowns and 14 interceptions. To make matters even worse, his completion rate against those teams is just 53.8%. That’s a horrendous track record and it’s not going to get any better against a tough Utah defense on the road.
Mertz was always an interesting choice for starting quarterback and I think fans will realize right away that he has a lot of work to do. He’s not the clutch quarterback that the Gators need.
We’ll see a big drop-off in production from Anthony Richardson.
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