You have to get back into the flow of things and knock off the rust built up while away. For Mertz though, it wasn’t just that he’s dealing with. He’s also contending with star freshman DJ Lagway looking over his shoulder every game after the stellar day he had in Week Two against Samford.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Graham Mertz passed for three touchdowns and rushed for another to lead Florida over Mississippi State 45-28 on Saturday. The Gators had 503 yards of total offense and completed 93 percent of their passes with Mertz 19 of 21 for 201 yards and DJ Lagway completing all seven of his throws for 76 yards.

Florida football (2-2, 1-1 SEC) defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-3, 0-1 SEC) on the road by a score of 45-28 in what seemed like a must-win game for Billy Napier and his Gators. The cowbells in Starkville,