Graham Mertz, Montrell Johnson evaluate Florida offense's performance vs. Vanderbilt

Even without leading rusher Trevor Etienne, the Florida offense looked strong on Saturday against Vanderbilt. With 41 passing attempts and 30 rushes, the Gators were fairly balanced en route to the 38-14 bounce-back victory.

Graham Mertz had a big day, completing 30 of 36 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns to lead the effort. But he specifically called out the running game for getting things going, led by Montrell Johnson’s 135 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Because the run game showed out, it allowed the passing game to open up. While Mertz said there were things to clean up, the offensive line held strong and played a key role in the effort.

“I think we did a good job of running the ball today, I think our pass game complimented that well,” Mertz told SEC Network’s Tori Petry after the game. “I think we could’ve done a little bit better job of just simple mistakes. We’ve got to clean that up. And then, moving the ball down the field. I think we’ve got to do a better job of that. Overall, I think we ran the ball well, the o-line did a great job. Proud of the guys.”

To Johnson, who stepped up in a big way in Etienne’s place, it all started up front. The offensive line’s ability to run block, especially in the early going, helped get things rolling right from the jump.

“I think the big guys up front got it moving early,” Johnson said. “That was a great start for us. I’m glad that we got it going.”

Graham Mertz on the Homecoming game: ‘You feel like you owe it to everybody … to put on a show’

The Swamp is always one of the best environments in college football. Saturday was even better because it was Homecoming at Florida. That meant there was even more at stake for the Gators to put on a show in front of a great group of alumni.

Mertz said the players knew how special the Homecoming game was coming in, especially on the heels of last week’s loss to Kentucky. The Gators rose to the occasion, and Mertz said he hopes they made the faithful proud.

“I think any time you come to The Swamp, hands down, it’s the most fun place to play in the country,” Mertz said. “They’re loud, they love this place.

“Especially a time like Homecoming, you feel like you owe it to everybody that’s come here before you to put on a show. So I’m proud of the guys and how we played today.”