Anthony Richardson ready for a Georgia re-do

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gators fans had spent weeks begging, pleading, and nearing threats to Dan Mullen to play Anthony Richardson over Emory Jones. The former head coach obliged one year ago, ahead of the Gators’ game with Georgia.

A collective groan came from the fan base. Not like this. Not this week, against, possibly, the best defense ever assembled. Richardson didn’t have much time to prepare himself mentally. He was informed by Mullen the Friday before the game.

“They pulled Emory and I in the office and told us that they were going to go with me, and I had to be ready for it,” Richardson recalled on Monday. “That whole week we both were preparing to be the starter. We didn’t know what was going to happen. But they finalized it like a day or two before the game.”

The results were to be expected. Richardson, making his first career start, completed 12-of-20 passes with two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

“Last year I thought about it a lot because I didn’t really showcase what I wanted to showcase. It kind of created a narrative that I wasn’t ready,” Richardson said on Monday. “I thought about it a little bit during the off-season, but ever since then, everybody is going to have a game like that every once in a while. Just can’t let it affect you.”

Richardson’s performances have been a mixed bag in 2022. He was a superstar against Utah before struggling the next two weeks. He was fantastic in a loss at Tennessee and against an overmatched opponent in Eastern Washington.

Richardson gets a second shot at Georgia

This week, Richardson is much more prepared for the matchup. He has eight starts under his belt. He’s played in front of 100,000 at Tennessee. He’s faced stout defenses and, while his success has come and gone, he’s certainly more experienced than he was a year ago at this time.

“There is no doubt the comfort level with all the things that contribute to quarterback play, not only our system but what the other side of the ball is doing. Being able to speak that language,” Napier said of Richardson. ”Just a ton of growth relative to where he’s at and the level he’s processing at. So I think he still working hard on mastering what that process looks like Sunday to Saturday unwavering commitment to what’s required to play and win. So that’s where he’s at. Seven games in and continues to get better.”

This Saturday the cards will once again be stacked against Richardson. Georgia comes in with a loaded defense. The Dawgs have the nation’s second-best scoring defense (9.1 points per game) and the fourth-best rushing defense (83.29 ypg), passing defense (163.7 ypg), and total D (247 ypg).

A tall task for Richardson, who will need to play his best football of the season to give the Gators a chance in Jacksonville.

“I feel like I’ve made huge leaps of improvement. There’s still a ways to go. But just thinking about it, I was actually talking about it the other day, time does fly. Seemed like yesterday it was my first start against Georgia,” Richardson said. “I feel like we were doing pretty good until those last couple minutes of the game. I feel like I made improvements as a player, as a person, so I’m thankful that I even got the opportunity to start in that game. It was fun, just being on that field with my teammates. It was definitely a huge blessing. I was thankful for that.”