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Just hours away from Florida’s season opener, Greg McElroy previewed the matchup against Utah on SportsCenter.
Utah is without starting quarterback Cam Rising, who is recovering from an ACL injury, and McElroy believes the Utes are going to have to rely heavily on the backfield.
“The offensive line and the run game are going to have to take ownership in Cam Rising’s absence,” McElroy said.
One of the biggest aspects that Utah will be missing with Cam Rising is his leadership, McElroy claims.
For Florida, the Gators will be looking to a new starting quarterback in Graham Mertz, who transferred to Florida after 4 seasons at Wisconsin.
While Mertz is experienced, McElroy hasn’t seen a lot of development from him and thinks it will take time for him to come into his own at Florida.
“The problem with Graham Mertz has really been between the ears and just the lack of development he experienced at Wisconsin,” McElroy said.
McElroy pointed out that since his first season as a starter, Mertz has struggled to grow as a quarterback.
McElroy also believes Mertz will be adjusting to a new role, moving into an offense that leans heavily on the run game.
“Now he’s going into an offense that’s going to really prioritize the run game and put more on the offensive line and the running backs, and he’s going to be that secondary weapon pushing the ball down the field on play action,” McElroy said. “It’s a really nice fit for a guy who had to shoulder way too much of the weight at Wisconsin.”
