Florida Offensive Players to Watch vs Mizzou in Week 6
Coming off of heartbreaking losses to both Auburn and the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs, the Missouri Tigers will have their hands full yet again on Saturday when they travel to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators in the Swamp.
The Gators will are led by new head coach Billy Napier, who is off to a rough 0-2 start in SEC play as well.
Luckily for Napier, who is an offensive-minded head coach, he still has elite quarterback talent at his disposal in Anthony Richardson, who, despite not having a wealth of experience behind him, already holds a first-round talent projection.
Can the Tigers bounce back from their tough losses and take down the Gators?
Lets take a look at a few offensive players to watch when the Tigers head to Gainesville in Week 6.
Stick with MizzouSportsTalk.com as we preview the matchup between Florida and Missouri throughout the week.
QB Anthony Richardson
If the Gators are going to succeed in 2022, it will be because of the arm of Anthony Richardson.
From athletic and arm talent standpoints, Richardson is the most talented passer in the SEC East and arguably second only to Bryce Young in the conference. From an experience standpoint, he still has a long way to go and a lot to prove.
He will have every opportunity to succeed, and against a questionable Tigers secondary, he could be in for a big week.
That said, he has had his issues this season, specifically with ball security.
Through five games, Richardson has completed 73 of 131 passes for 1,116 yards and four touchdowns with six interceptions. He has also rushed for five touchdowns and is second on the team with 241 yards on the ground.
RB Nay'Quon Wright, Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson Jr.
Facing the unenviable task of replacing Dameon Pierce, running back Nay'Quon Wright was thought to be the one to beat for the starting position. Last season, Wright was successful when given the opportunity, rushing 76 times for 326 yards and a touchdown while averaging 4.29 yards per carry. He also had 14 catches for 178 yards and another score.
That said, the Gators have ended up going with more of a running back by committee approach, with Wright, Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson all having nearly identical amounts of carries.
Johnson, however, has been the most successful, rushing 38 times for 282 yards and four touchdowns. Etienne, meanwhile, has 35 carries for 223 yards and two scores, with Wright adding 39 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns.
WR Justin Shorter
Jacob Copeland is now a Maryland Terrapin. So as the Gators leading returning receiver, Justin Shorter should be Richardson's go-to guy in the passing game next season. In 2021, Shorter had 41 catches for 550 yards and three touchdowns.
Once again, in 2022, he is leading the way, with 14 catches for 314 yards and one touchdown.
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