On Monday, Dan Mullen revealed that quarterback Anthony Richardson injured his knee dancing Friday night, keeping him out of Saturday’s game against South Carolina. Richardson joked about the dancing with a post on social media, and it seems that he’ll be good to go on Saturday barring any setbacks.
Mullen said that Richardson returned to practice on Tuesday and is on track to get cleared to play against Samford, according to 247Sports. The freshman got his first college start two weeks ago against Georgia but a concussion ended his night early. Many assumed it was the concussion that kept Richardson from playing against South Carolina since it had stopped him from practicing during the week.
If he’s available, Richardson could have another chance to start. Emory Jones didn’t do himself any favors with a loss to the Gamecocks, and he upped his interception total to 10 on the year. He did manage to throw for 258 yards and two touchdowns, but the turnover problem is hard to overlook.
Richardson isn’t less prone to turning the ball over, but his freshman status and explosive potential offer more upside for a struggling Gators team. Samford is an ideal opponent to ease Richardson back in, especially after facing No.1 Georgia in his first start. Richardson exploded onto the scene against a weak USF team, completing all three of his attempted passes for 152 combined yards and two touchdowns. He tacked on an 80-yard touchdown run (115 on the day), and everyone suddenly realized what could be with AR-15 under center.
Well, everyone but Mullen. To his credit, Mullen did see Richardson’s shortcomings before everyone else, but he may have stuck with Jones a bit too long. Health will be the deciding factor on Saturday as Florida would like to have Richardson for Missouri and Florida State.
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