Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson on the run in last season's game in Baton Rouge. (Photo: Courtney Culbreath/UAA Communications)
The Other Side: LSU's Daniels Presents Similar Challenge as UF's Richardson
Wednesday, October 12, 2022 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The quarterback matchup in Saturday's Florida-LSU game is reflective of this era of college football.
The Gators' Anthony Richardson is set to make his eighth career start. LSU's Jayden Daniels is readying for his 36th career start. Nothing too groundbreaking there. One is relatively inexperienced, the other a tested veteran.
What adds a unique layer to the quarterback storyline is that Daniels, after starting for three seasons at Arizona State, decided to transfer to LSU and join head coach Brian Kelly in his first season in Baton Rouge.
Daniels' departure created an opening at Arizona State, where former Gators starter Emory Jones transferred after the spring semester. Jones' exit cleared the way for Richardson, clearly the frontrunner based on his performance early in spring camp, to take over as Florida's starting quarterback.
You get all that? Coincidentally, in some ways, Richardson's performance in last season's 49-42 loss at LSU set this QB triangle in motion. With Jones erratic and LSU up 28-13 after Dwight McGlothern returned a Jones interception 37 yards for a touchdown, the Gators turned to Richardson.
The freshman responded by leading the Gators to touchdowns on four consecutive drives. He threw for three scores and ran for another in the shootout loss. Gators fans clamored for Richardson to take over permanently.
A season later, first-year Gators head coach Billy Napier has a team similar to the one Kelly inherited at LSU. Both are 4-2 and pushing to make improvements in the second half of the season.
Richardson is at the heart of that discussion in Gainesville. In Baton Rouge, Daniels is at the center of the chatter.
Nola.com columnist Scott Rabalais, a veteran presence on the LSU beat, wrote this about Daniels on Wednesday:
Trying to assess LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels through six games feels very much like a contradiction in terms. He has exhibited shortcomings in the passing game that seem to be at least one of the reasons (but not all) that are holding LSU's offense back. Yet his running ability, which is superior to any LSU quarterback I've seen my entire life, is what is often keeping an offense that has other significant challenges afloat.
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels on the run in last week's loss to Tennessee. (Photo: Stephen Lew/USA TODAY Sports)
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Daniels presents a challenge for Florida's defense the way Richardson does for LSU's.
"At receiver, they've got some dynamic players both inside and outside,'' Napier said of the Tigers. "So, you pair that with the ability for the quarterback to break the pocket and scramble, you think about statistically when you look at their team, this quarterback has made a significant impact on the game with his feet. So they're certainly gonna be a big part of our planning and the dilemma that you have on defense."
Daniels completed 32 of 45 passes for 300 yards in last week's 40-13 home loss to Tennessee. Still, his performance did little to make a difference on the scoreboard.
Kelly has encouraged Daniels to be more aggressive in the passing game by taking a few more chances, which could be a requirement at sold-out Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday night if Richardson is hot like last year's game at Tiger Stadium.
"He needs to continue to step forward," Kelly said this week, "to go on the road and manage the offense in a very difficult environment. We've got to see that improvement and progression as well."
Napier has said the same of Richardson this season. As the Richardson-Daniels matchup is a featured attraction heading into Saturday, Jones remained in concussion protocol at Arizona State on Wednesday.
Jones left Arizona State's 45-38 win over Washington after getting hit in the head on a run in the second quarter. Backup Trenton Bourguet came on to rally the Sun Devils to an upset victory.
Now they're talking about a quarterback battle in Tempe when Jones is cleared to return. That's a topic Napier and Kelly would prefer to avoid after Saturday night's showdown in The Swamp.
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