Florida fans are finally starting to see a more balanced and efficient passing game through week four of the 2022 football season. Although the running backs have flourished through four weeks, Anthony Richardson and his receivers have struggled up until this past weekend. In the loss to Tennessee, the Florida Gator offense broke their season total in passing yards with 453 yards in the air. Florida previously had 423 passing yards through three weeks. The offensive line continues to impress week in and week out; it seems as if Richardson has finally found his groove. Below I give an outlook on the offense and its position groups through week four.
ANTHONY RICHARDSON
There’s no doubt that the Anthony Richardson Florida fans have witnessed so far this season isn’t the quarterback they expected to see. That all changed this past Saturday when Richardson torched Tennessee’s defense, completing 24-of-44 passes for 453 yards and two passing touchdowns. Richardson also accounted for 62 yards and two touchdowns on the ground Saturday afternoon, showing that he may have flipped the switch.
“I think the key is that you have the right perspective,” Napier said on continuing to build Richardson’s confidence. “I think you’ve got to see things from the big picture here. We use the word journey to describe that, like you’ve got to play the long game here, realize — have a very technical way to teach and show what was done well, what was done — can be done better.”
Even though Florida lost Saturday, Richardson showed that he can play the “long game” and is slowly getting better, finding his identity as a starting quarterback. His throws looked crisp as he controlled the pocket. Richardson held a poised and calm presence for the first time this season. Richardson still has a long way to go, but there’s plenty more games to be played. Richardson needs to continue to stay in the moment and play with confidence.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The success of Anthony Richardson and the running backs all start with the offensive line. The heart and soul of this offense has remained strong through week four weeks; arguably one of the best offensive lines in the entire country. O’Cyrus Torrence has yet to let Richardson and this offense down, coming in as the highest graded offensive lineman through three weeks. This offensive line shows no signs of slowing down, even with sophomore Michael Tarquin out with an injury. Freshman Austin Barber has been a trench monster up front, stepping up in place of injured Tarquin, allowing no sacks so far this year. It’s been a sigh of relief for Gator fans this year, watching this offensive line compared to teams of the past. While only allowing three sacks so far through four games this season, I expect this offensive line to keep getting better.
RUNNING BACKS
The production of the running backs so far this season has been something Gator fans have been gushing over. Montrell Johnson, Trevor Etienne and Nay’Quan Wright have been a LEGIT three-headed monster for the Gators so far this season. Among the three, they’ve racked up 585 total yards through four games. Montrell Johnson currently leads the running back room with 258 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries this season. Freshman Trevor Etienne follows not too far behind with 201 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries. This weekend’s game against Eastern Washington will be a great opportunity for these Gator running backs to get back up on their feet. For a team that averages nearly six yards a carry through four weeks, I’m not worried about the running backs getting back to work.
WIDE RECEIVERS/ TIGHT ENDS
Despite a loss, it seems as if the film breakdowns with Anthony Richardson paid off big time this weekend against Tennessee. After finishing with 453 yards and two passing touchdowns, Anthony Richardson and the Gators finally broke the no touchdown streak. Confidence has built back up, and the chemistry is growing stronger for this offensive group as the season goes on. Justin Shorter had his best game yet, totaling seven catches for 155 yards, blowing his season total of just 84 yards out of the water. Ricky Pearsall on the other hand scored his first touchdown as a Florida Gator late in the fourth quarter Saturday, putting him over 100 yards on the day with five catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. Four of Florida’s receivers had a catch go for over 15 yards, with Xzavier Henderson taking a screen pass 17 yards. The position group did much better finding space in the open field compared to what Florida fans have witnessed to start the season. The only question is if Anthony Richardson and his receivers can consistently keep the momentum going and find green grass when Richardson is on his game. Keon Zipperer scoring Florida’s first passing touchdown of the season goes to show just how much this passing game has gained momentum over the last week. I think having weekly film sessions has helped this offense tremendously in the passing game, and I truly think it’s only going to get better after what we all witnessed this past Saturday.
FLORIDA OFFENSE PAVING THEIR PATH AND BUILDING CHEMISTRY
It feels weird to say after the Gators just lost to Tennessee for only the second time in 18 years, but watching the offense Saturday was a breath of fresh air. Anthony Richardson was the quarterback we all expected him to be entering the season and the receivers were great in space. The only thing that lacked compared to previous weeks was the efficiency of the running backs. I expect that group to do a complete 180 flip this weekend against the Eastern Washington Eagles. This weekend’s game against Eastern Washington will be another great opportunity for Richardson to show how much he’s grown as a passer, and just how much chemistry he and his receivers have built.
AR is great! Nice development. We just need to remind ‘special teams’ to fair catch everything and we make yards automatically! Ha. Go Gators.