GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A couple of questions into his postgame press conference late Saturday night, Gators head coach Dan Mullen was asked about backup quarterback Anthony Richardson. Another question about Richardson followed.
Richardson grabbed the headlines for the Gators in their first two games until a hamstring injury late in a victory over USF slowed his ascension into Florida's Ring of Honor in some fans' view. If starter Emory Jones continues to play like he did in the Gators' 38-14 victory over Tennessee at a sold-out Swamp, he is going to be the headliner.
In his fourth career start and the most complete outing of his career, Jones was being mentioned in the same breath as Tim Tebow afterward. Jones completed 21 of 27 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns, and the fourth-year junior added 144 yards rushing on 15 carries, an average of 9.6 yards per attempt. Jones became the first Gators quarterback since Tebow against FIU in 2009 to pass for 200 yards and rush for 100 in a single game.
And for the first time this season, Jones didn't throw an interception as the Gators defeated the Vols for the fifth consecutive season and 16th time in 17 meetings.
"Every game I'm just getting more confident, just trying to build that,'' Jones said. "I'm just trying to get better week to week. I feel like that's what I'm doing."
Even the most diehard Richardson backer would have trouble disputing that.
Mullen said Richardson, the 6-foot-4, 236-pound dynamic redshirt freshman out of Gainesville's Eastside High, was once again cleared to play medically. However, as was the case the previous week against No. 1-ranked Alabama, Mullen opted to stick with Jones the entire game to avoid the risk of a more serious injury to Richardson's sore right hamstring. Richardson ran full speed on Friday and Mullen said he expects him to be 100 percent at practice Monday to begin preparation for next week's game at Kentucky.
In the second half, the Gators took control on a trick play on their first drive of the third quarter. Mullen signaled in an audible to Jones, who tossed a lateral to receiver Trent Whittemore. The double-pass play resulted in a 13-yard touchdown toss from Whittemore to tight end Kemore Gamble.
Jones was glad to share the wealth and let Mullen know when he returned to the sideline.
"I told him after we scored, 'That was a hell of a play.' " Jones quipped. "He said, 'I know.' "
From there, Jones played like Easy Emory, throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to Rick Wells in the third quarter and breaking off a 49-yard run early in the fourth quarter to help the Gators roll up 505 yards of total offense, including 283 on the ground.
"I think you see him really settling down,'' Mullen said. "I thought he did a great job making his reads, managing the offense, getting us in the right plays."
Perhaps more than anything over the past two games Jones has shown that not only is he capable, but that he's resilient. Remember those boos when the Gators offense stalled in the second quarter against Alabama? Jones nearly led the Gators back from a 21-3 deficit against the Crimson Tide and didn't blink when Tennessee jumped ahead Saturday.
With so much attention on Richardson following his breakout performance in the season opener against Florida Atlantic, Jones has said all the right things and turned up the workload.
It shows.
"Everything I'm doing, I've done before,'' he said.
Running back Dameon Pierce, a Georgia native like Jones, warned the media afterward that this is just a preview.
"That's my dawg. My dawg balled. Quote me on that,'' Pierce said. "You got more to come. That's just scratching the surface for Emory. That's a guy with a lot of potential. He's just getting comfortable out there, man."
Whether Richardson is 100 percent or not shouldn't matter if Jones continues to play at a high level. While Mullen has repeatedly said the plan is to play both quarterbacks in each game, Jones is clearly the starter. Richardson is gifted in some ways Jones isn't, but Jones has a deeper understanding of the offense and it's growing each week.
"You are starting to see his confidence a little bit more play in, which gives us more confidence to even throw more things in from the playbook,'' Mullen said. "I think it shows how he's managing things."
All Jones needs to do is to keep doing what he's doing.
The two-quarterback system is for Mullen to manage. As for Richardson, he could return to the field at Kentucky and provide the Gators with another talented option in spot duty.
"We were very fortunate he didn't have to go in the game the last two weeks,'' Mullen said. "He'll be ready to go."
We know Jones is ready. He is showing us — week to week.
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September 26, 2021 at 12:06PM
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Jones Has Asserted Himself at Perfect Time - Florida Gators
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