Florida’s quarterback Graham Mertz was under constant pressure on Thursday night, which severely handicapped the Gators’ offense in their week one loss to Utah. Mertz was pressured on 25 percent of his passing attempts, which is the 4th highest mark amongst starting SEC QBs in week one, according to SEC Stat Cat. Mertz was sacked five times for a loss of 47 yards in the contest.
The Gators posted a pass block grade of 56.1, which currently ranks 95th in the FBS, according to Pro Football Focus.
While only one offensive lineman graded out above an 80.0 in pass block (Knijeah Harris, 82.5, 14 snaps), the problems weren’t all with the big men up front.
The four lowest graded Gators in pass block were RB Trevor Etienne (38.9) TE Jonathan Odom (36.0), RB Montrell Johnson (22.8), and TE Dante Zanders (21.8). This group combined for 29 pass block snaps, while Jonathan Odom and Trevor Etienne were directly involved on a sack play. Zanders also allowed two pressures and two hurries in five snaps pass block snaps, according to PFF.
“I think everybody likes to talk about the offensive line, okay, when it comes to protection and maybe inefficient runs. All position groups contribute to both,” Napier said during Monday’s press conference. “We had other position groups that caused problems in protection in the game. It’s not always just the offensive line. I think we’re quick to point the finger at the quarterback. We’re quick to point the finger at the offensive line. I think all positions contribute.”
Florida’s route running grade of 67.3 ranks 49th in college football after week one.
“Sometimes it’s a receiver, right? Maybe the receiver doesn’t run the route with precision, and the quarterback has to hold the ball. I think there’s a number of things that contribute to protection issues,” Napier said.
When the pocket was kept clean for Mertz, he delivered, completing 78.4% of his passes for 312 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. Under pressure, Mertz completed 28.6% of his passes (2 for 7) for 21 yards and an interception. His averaged yards per attempt when pressured was three yards.
“I’ve said this publicly many times. When you rush the ball effectively, it’s not just the offensive line,” Napier said. “I mean, I think we’ve got to play well on the edges. We’ve got to have precision in footwork and eye discipline at running back. The quarterback has to make the right decision in terms of distributing the ball. The same could be said for protection.”
Napier took full responsibility for the pass protection woes in week one, and claims they are going to fix it.
“So the lesson here is that there’s no one single individual to blame here, other than me, okay? I think ultimately the buck stops here. We’re going to go fix it. That’s what I would tell you,” Napier said.
Florida has a favorable matchup against McNeese State in week two, who allowed 52 points to Tarleton State in week one, recording just one sack for 6 yards while posted a pressure grade of just 56.6, which would rank 118th in the FBS if McNeese State was included.
The Gators have two weeks to iron out the offensive line and pass protection issues before SEC play starts.