Tennessee football: Five key Florida Gators to watch for against Vols
![Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) tosses the ball to Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (2) d1hds at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 17, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Florida Bulls](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Ff54d9c1ae766122c6a08fcb2abd2ac2de4e5f6f9b1b339799e404d80bab0d229.jpg "Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) tosses the ball to Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (2) d1hds at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 17, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Florida Bulls")
![Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) celebrates after a touchdown during the first half against the South Florida Bulls at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 17, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Florida Bulls](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F96af076a5b7bddaf8e207f5b27d69a28bf31d82d01b9ec2f3e237be73e8e433a.jpg "Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) celebrates after a touchdown during the first half against the South Florida Bulls at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 17, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Florida Bulls")
Quarterback. 2. 840. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Sophomore. Anthony Richardson. player
6’4″ 232 pounds
He hasn’t played well the past two games, and he has all of 0 touchdown passes this year. However, Tennessee football fans will always tell you that Florida quarterbacks always have breakout games against the Vols. They almost never live up to that hype again. Ask Feleipe Franks, Will Grier and Treon Harris.
Of course, if Billy Napier uses Richardson’s legs the way he should, then the Vols could have real trouble. Their linebackers were awful in coverage last year, and while the return of Juwan Mitchell and development of Aaron Beasley should help with that, they still haven’t been tested on that front just yet.
The first dual-threat quarterback UT faced who actually runs RPOs to keep defenses off-balance was last week, as D.J. Irons of Akron does that. However, Akron is historically bad, so that’s not really a gauge of where the Vols stand on that front. This is that gauge.
For the year, Richardson has completed 41 of 77 passes (53.2 percent) for 423 yards (5.5 yards per attempt), 0 touchdowns and four interceptions. Awful numbers, yes, but he does have 24 carries for 134 yards (5.6 yards per carry) and three touchdowns on the ground.
Also, against Utah, Richardson did complete 17 of 24 passes (70.8 percent) for 168 yards (7 yards per attempt) while carrying it 11 times for 106 yards (9.6 yards per carry) and three touchdowns with no turnovers. That’s the formula to beat Tennessee football, but Napier has to run him more. Health may be a question. Either way, he’s key in this game.