Florida quarterback Graham Mertz had just made his best throw of the evening against Tennesseefinally got a touchdown on the board. Arlis Boardingham was on the receiving end, extending the Gators’ lead to 10 in front of a stunned Neyland Stadium. A great moment for Mertz and the entire offense until disaster somehow struck.

Mertz had released the ball and was jumping sideways off a Tennessee defender as he watched the play. After a few jumps, he suddenly grabbed his right knee and immediately felt pain. Mertz fell to the ground for a brief second and eventually limped off the field.

As he stood on the sideline, his helmet flew through the air in frustration. A scary moment for Mertz, considering that no one was near him at the time and it appeared to be a non-contractual injury.

ESPN went to commercial right after the moment, but when they returned, a video was shown of the Florida QB limping into the blue medical tent.

Luckily for Florida, there is confidence in what DJ Lagway is able to do it. Head coach Billy Napier throws him into the game on every third drive anyway. Not the traditional backup situation most college football programs may find themselves in. Either way, asking a true newcomer to win at Neyland Stadium is a tall order.

“It looks like it’s going to be his game,” ESPN’s Kris Budden said of Lagway late in the third quarter. “Because Graham Mertz is in the locker room.”

When Mertz is officially done, he will finish the day completing 11 of 15 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. While not much has gone well in Florida over the last two seasons, Mertz has been a consistent player for the Gators.

Questions will be asked about his long-term status at Napier’s post-match press conference. In answering these questions, he hopes to win and will ride Lagway the rest of the way.