Anthony Richardson, it’s time to bounce back. (Photo credit: Matt Pendleton, Gainesville Sun.)
Exactly 52.5 weeks ago, Anthony Richardson broke out and announced his presence as a dangerous dual-threat weapon against South Florida. This Saturday, his goal is to re-announce, and possibly re-launch, his status as the man capable of putting the Florida Gators on his back.
South Florida is not exactly an opponent capable of exposing his- or any team’s- weaknesses, of course. But the ultra-talented-yet-raw Richardson just needs to get back to the basics… and the Bulls are the perfect opponent for that.
Early in the Kentucky game, Richardson took a late hit to his knees that resulted in him limping away. The result was not an injury, per se, but rather an injury scare that he says got into his head. As a result, Richardson wasn’t himself all night, misfiring several throws and fumbling once in the Gators’ 26-16 loss.
So for Anthony Richardson, the mission against South Florida is clear. The Kentucky game? That pick six? The fumble? The other bad interception? The numerous throws that he misfired on? Flush it. All of it. It’s over. It happened. It’s done. It’s in the past.
Just go be the quarterback you were recruited to be.
The last time Anthony Richardson got to play the South Florida Bulls, he went wild, breaking completing three bombs for a total of 152 yards and two touchdowns, as well as taking off on four runs for another 115 yards and another touchdown.
Replicating those per-play numbers is not especially likely, and it’s not even something that he should attempt to do. This game is all about going back to the fundamentals.
Go through your progressions- your offensive line, even without Michael Tarquin, will give you time. Let the routes develop. Square your shoulders on your throws, and step into them. Don’t throw every ball 95 mph; sometimes, 80 mph is plenty, and for that matter, sometimes you need to put some touch on the ball and loft a rainbow. And when you run, go be an athlete- and protect the ball.
Anthony Richardson knows all this. He’s the quarterback here, not me. But in the heat of battle, it’s easy to revert back to old habits and let muscle memory take over.
Whether or not he’s able to do this won’t matter against South Florida. The Bulls were in a tight battle with Howard last week, leading 21-14 with two minutes to go in the third quarter before finally pulling away.
However, the task falls on Anthony Richardson to get into the habit of doing the right things tomorrow, so that he can develop some rhythm and confidence that he can use in future games. And if Richardson truly is going to be the QB that puts the Gators on his back and carries the team forward, there’s nothing more important tomorrow night than seeing him do that.