Anthony Richardson makes history after first two Florida games

Despite the fact that Emory Jones was considered the heir to former Florida quarterback Kyle Trask’s throne this offseason, Anthony Richardson and his stats continue to electrify the Gators offense from the No. 2 spot. 

In Saturday’s 42-20 win over in-state opponent USF, Richardson had some eye-popping stats, per ESPN’s Cole Cubelic. 

Florida QB Anthony Richardson is the 1st FBS player in the last 25 seasons to:
> Rush for 100 yards
> Pass for 150 yards
> Complete every pass he threw

— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) September 11, 2021

Richardson went 3-for-3 with 152 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and 115 yards on four carries and a score on the ground. Richardson threw a 75-yard touchdown pass and ran for an 80-yard score. The dual-threat quarterback tweaked his hamstring at the end of the run, but it should not be an issue going forward according to Florida head coach Dan Mullen.

The 6-foot-4, 236-pound quarterback drew comparisons to Florida great Tim Tebow earlier today after exceeding the 100 marks in both passing and rushing yardage. Anthony Richardson was the first to achieve those stats since Tebow in 2009.

Quarterback controversy in Gainesville?

Apparently not, at least in Mullen’s mind. Following today’s game, Mullen addressed who will start in the Gators’ matchup with Alabama next weekend. 

“Yes [Emory Jones will be the starter],” Mullen said after Florida’s 42-20 win over USF. “As I said, we have two really good quarterbacks. You’ll see both of them play every single game.”

Mullen sees both good and bad things from both quarterbacks at this point, knows they are young, and wants to continue to develop them as the season progresses.

“Both of them I thought were pretty efficient in the first half,” Mullen added. “Both of them were so-so at times with different situations in the second half with things that go on.”

Jones went 14-for-22 with 151 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions today. Also a dual-threat quarterback, Jones had 13 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown on the ground. 

No. 1 Alabama comes to Gainesville on Saturday in one of the top games of Week 3. While both quarterbacks have had success on the ground so far, running the ball against Alabama is a tall task. They allowed just nine yards on the ground today against Mercer, and Miami dual-threat quarterback D’Eriq King managed just 10 yards on nine carries in last week’s Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game between the two schools.

The Gators are done with non-conference games until Nov. 13 when Samford comes to town. While the SEC East is expected to be down this year, crossover games with Alabama and at LSU plus trips to Kentucky and Jacksonville to play Georgia will be the real test to see if Mullen has his young team trending in the right direction back toward an SEC Championship Game berth.