Florida Football: Anthony Richardson Works Utah Silly, Carries Gators To Win In Season Opener

It doesn’t take the IQ of a rocket scientist to understand that Florida football quarterback Anthony Richardson is a gifted athlete.

After the Gators pulled off a 29-26 upset inside the Swamp Saturday night against no. 7 Utah, head coach Billy Napier gushed over Richardson’s athletic abilities during his post-game press conference. He even went as far as to say that his wife Ali could be a successful play caller with Richardson at quarterback.

“My wife can call plays for that guy (Richardson) at quarterback,” Napier said. “Tonight there was at least four plays right off the top of my head… where he just becomes that guy.”

Richardson certainly showcased his skills on a national level after making his first career home start against the reigning PAC-12 champions.

The sophomore Gainesville native completed 17 of his 24 passes for 168 yards. However, one play that won’t show up on the box score was Richardson’s two-point conversion late in the 4th-quarter where he faked out two Utah defenders with a pump fake and found Ja’Quavion Fraziars in the back of the end zone.

But what was by far the biggest game changer of the night, to the surprise of almost no Florida fans, was Richardson’s ability to take over the game with the use of his legs.

Richardson carried the ball 11 times for 108 yards against a Utah defense that ranked 21st in the country in rush defense back in 2021 and returned the majority of their starters.

Arguably the three biggest offensive plays of the night came from runs by Richardson.

With less than two minutes to go in the first half, Richardson broke free from the pocket and scampered 45 yards for a touchdown, giving the Gators a 14-13 lead before halftime.

Then during Florida’s 14-play game winning drive, Richardson converted a critical 4th and 2 by calling his own number and rushing down the right sideline to pick up a first down on a 9-yard carry.

To cap off the 75-yard drive, Richardson called his number one last time and plunged the ball into the end zone for his third rushing touchdown of the evening.

While Richardson deserves the majority of the credit for last night’s victory, there were still several other key contributors on Florida’s offense last night.

Sophomore wide receiver Xzavier Henderson led the team in receptions with six for 41 yards.

Junior transfer wide Receiver Ricky Pearsall also had an impressive debut with the Gators, catching four passes for a team-high 67 yards. This included a pair of critical third-down receptions from the former Arizona Sun Devil.

Many college football analysts expected Florida football to take a run-heavy approach in Napier’s first game. And that is exactly what the Gators did, as they rushed the ball 39 times against the Utes.

Montrell Johnson Jr., who previously played for Napier at Louisiana-Lafayette, led the Gators in carries on Saturday night with 12 for 75 yards. While the sophomore running back got himself into the dog house early after fumbling the ball on the opening drive that eventually led to a Utah touchdown, he made up for it with several key runs late in the game, including a 14-yard touchdown run that helped put the Gators by three points early in the 4th quarter.

Johnson wasn’t the only running back that got a healthy amount of playing time against the Utes.

Redshirt sophomore Nay’Quan Wright got the nod as the starter against Utah. Wright gained 39 yards on the ground off of 10 carries.

The youth movement was also in action as true freshman running back Trevor Etienne saw his first snaps as a Gator on Saturday night. Etienne had five carries for 64 yards.

The younger brother of Jaguars running back Travis Etienne left Florida fans breathless with his quick, shifty moves past Utah defenders. He also nearly gave Florida football fans a heart attack during Florida’s game-winning drive when he coughed the football on a 21-yard run, but managed to land on the loose ball.

While the Gators offense has much to celebrate over this Labor Day weekend, they will also need to start prepping against no. 20 Kentucky next Saturday night in a second straight prime-time showdown inside the Swamp.

The Wildcats won their season opener at home against Miami, Ohio on Saturday 37-13. Last year the Wildcats held the Gators to 382 yards of offense in a 20-13 victory at Lexington.

After the Gators secured the win against Utah, former Alabama quarterback and current ESPN analyst Greg McElroy compared Richardson to former Texas national championship quarterback Vince Young on Twitter.

While Utah returned most of its starters on defense that ranked 23rd nationally in 2021, Kentucky’s defense is perhaps a more daunting challenge for the Gators. In 2021 the Wildcats finished inside the top 20 in both total defense and rush yards allowed last year.

The Gators offense will most certainly need Richardson to put together another athletic spectacle at home against the Wildcats.

If Richardson is able to replicate his performance against Utah this Saturday against Kentucky, then the Vince Young comparisons may continue to multiply as the season progresses.

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