The last time [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] faced the University of Georgia was also the first start of his college career.
After weeks of standing by [autotag]Emory Jones[/autotag] as Florida’s starting quarterback, former Gators head coach Dan Mullen finally went with the redshirt freshman against the best team in the country. UF held UGA to a 3-0 lead for most of the first half, but disaster struck in the final few minutes of the second quarter.
Richardson was responsible for three turnovers at the end of the half, and Georgia’s lead exploded to 24-0. Any hope of a comeback died there, but things went from bad to worse in the third quarter when Richardson left the game with an injury. Talk about a bad first day on the job. Jones went back in and remained the starter for the rest of the season while Richardson dealt with various injuries.
A year later, Richardson is once again in a starting role for the Orange and Blue, this time under Billy Napier. Although he hasn’t quite lived up to first-round projections he garnered in the preseason, Richardson has shown flashes of elite play when at his best. The consistency isn’t quite there yet, but Richardson said he felt like he’s made “huge leaps of improvement” over the past year on Monday.
“There’s still a ways to go, but I was just talking about it the other day — time does fly. It seems like yesterday it was my first start against Georgia,” Richardson said. “I feel like we were doing pretty good until the last couple of minutes of the (first half). But I feel like I’ve made improvements as a player, as a person. I’m thankful that I even got the opportunity to play in that game.”
The big difference in the Richardson Florida has now is experience. He’s been here before. He’s faced the No. 1 team in the country before and knows what mistakes he wants to avoid. Last year’s attempt was made by a nervous freshman looking to impress in his first shot on the big stage. This year, Richardson has a plan to manage his emotions and isn’t taking too much time to dwell on the past.
“Before the game, I’m not going to lie, I had a lot of jitters,” he said. “I was in my head a lot. I was a little nervous, you know. First career start against the No. 1 defense, so of course I was thinking a lot. I feel like I was doing pretty good until those last few minutes of the first half, but just processing it and thinking about it has taught me a lot about football itself, how to manage the game and how to control the game. It is what it is now.”
Richardson said he’s ready to let the game come to him rather than force something that’s not there. He should be at his best both physically and mentally when the time comes. The Gators’ bye week served as a “mental week” for Richardson, allowing him to rest his body and study some extra film.
Make no mistake, Richardson would like to get his revenge on the Bulldogs. Although last year’s performance left a lot to be desired, it created a narrative that he wasn’t ready for the spotlight just yet. Richardson knows that and has since shined in games against Utah and Tennessee.
That sets up a redemption tale for the ages on Saturday, but it’ll take 100% focus to execute the upset of the season. Richardson’s ready for round two with Georgia, but they are the No. 1 defense in the country for a reason.
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