Anthony Richardson was fine physically in UK loss, but not mentally

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A game wasn’t the only thing Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson lost on Saturday night.

He lost his way as a player, his confidence as a leader and, with more than 20 NFL teams scouting him, some of his stock as a draft prospect. And on Florida’s opening drive, he nearly lost his health.

On his first pass, a 16-yard completion to Justin Shorter, Richardson took a low hit as he threw the ball and limped to the line of scrimmage without putting pressure on his left foot.

Richardson said he was fine after the loss to Kentucky, but the injury scare had an impact on his play — and perhaps his usage. He threw three straight incompletions after Shorter’s catch.

“I missed a lot of different throws and my confidence got shot,” Richardson said when asked how he felt after taking the hit. “It affected my receivers poorly, missing them wide open, so I know their confidence probably went down as well. I didn’t help my O-line, I didn’t help my running backs. I failed the team, so mentally I shot myself down a little bit, but I tried to stay in it. Physically, I was fine. I just tried to play through it and just play the game.”

The problem was that Richardson didn’t play his game. Both he and Florida coach Billy Napier said the Wildcats dictated Richardson’s lack of carries (five total for 12 yards, one sack for -8 yards) with the way they were defending him.

But Richardson also admitted that he made a conscious effort to throw more and run less. He certainly appeared to be pressing in the passing game. Could he also have been trying to showcase his arm to ESPN’s Todd McShay and the NFL teams in attendance?

Regardless, Richardson wasn’t himself.

“I tried not to force it too much (in the run game),” he said. “I’m a quarterback, so I told myself I was going to try to pass the ball more. So, I guess that probably affected my game a little bit.”

Richardson’s recipe for success is not five carries and 35 pass attempts. He needs to be the dynamic, dual-threat quarterback that earned him first-round projections this offseason and SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors against Utah.

Richardson with finished a career-low 4 rushing yards and also put the ball on the ground. He completed just 14 of 35 pass attempts (40 percent) for 143 yards with two interceptions, including the go-ahead pick-six for Kentucky.

That play gave him déjà vu.

“I turned the ball over twice, (almost) three times. I fumbled the ball once,” Richardson said. “The second one, flashback to the Georgia game. Same thing, I just threw it right to the dude.”

With each turnover, misfire and failed fourth-down attempt against the Wildcats, Florida’s quarterback lost more confidence and could never find his rhythm. Rarely is Richardson kept out of the end zone, but he didn’t score any touchdowns for the first time since the loss to Georgia last season.

By getting shutout, he failed to deliver Saturday night on his guarantee to the defense. That’s what stung the most about the 26-16 loss.

“I feel like I let everybody down, especially the defense. Because I looked everybody on the defense in the eyes and I told them that I’ve got them, but obviously I didn’t,” Richardson said. “I’ve got to play better for the team and the university.”

Napier is also the first to acknowledge that he needs to coach him better. He called Richardson a perfectionist and the ultimate competitor, and when he lets his team down, he’s extremely hard on himself.

That was intensified by the pressure of his matchup against Kentucky’s Will Levis, who outdueled Richardson in front of NFL teams.

“I think there’s no one that’s his own worst critic than Anthony,” Napier said. “Anthony can do things better. That starts with me. I think part of coaching is putting your players in position where they can have success. We made mistakes tonight. Anthony made mistakes. I made mistakes.

“One thing I know about Anthony, he’s a fighter. He’s going to show back up, and he’s going to work hard to improve. He has that level of investment and commitment to the players and the people in the organization.”

That was evident after the game when Richardson decided to address the media. He wasn’t required to speak but wanted to take ownership of his performance and blame for the result.

“We lost, and I feel like it’s completely on me. A lot of people say it’s not, but I feel like it’s on me. I played terrible. I didn’t do anything that would’ve helped my team. I tried to lead, but I didn’t feel like I did that real well tonight. I take full responsibility for the loss,” he said.

“I feel like I took a step back from the Utah win, and I shot myself in the foot this game. Just got to grind a little harder. Just trying to pick my teammates up. Everybody’s counting on me, and I’m definitely counting on them.”

Richardson is now 1-2 as a starter and all three opponents have been top-20 teams. Moreover, his losses have come against two of the best defensive minds in college football in Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Kentucky’s Mark Stoops.

With all the hype and hoopla surrounding Richardson the past few months, Saturday served as a reminder that he’s still an inexperienced quarterback and a first-year starter.

“We’ve tried to talk about that as much as we can. He’s a young player. That’s his second start in The Swamp in his entire life,” Napier said of Richardson. “I think that’s the great thing about experience. This guy started this season with very minimal experience. How many lessons has this guy learned in an actual game setting when the game counted? And I think he’s going through that.

“That’s part of the game of football and it’s part of life. I think you are going to experience mistakes. Ultimately, I know the most growth in life comes from some of the most difficult struggles you go through. I think the game is no different. He’s really going to grow and improve and learn lessons and grow his character relative to how he responds. With these things comes opportunity if you have the right attitude and approach.”