WHAT HAPPENED: Sophomore quarterbackAnthony Richardson passed for 240 yards and two scores in not quite three quarters of work and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall had a 76-yard touchdown run on an end-around to highlight the demo job done by the Gators on Sunday against the FCS-classified Eagles in a game that was pushed back 24 hours due to the threat last week of Hurricane Ian. Backup redshirt freshman quarterback Jalen Kitna, in his first collegiate action, had a hand in a trio of touchdown drives and also threw the first TD pass of his career. The Eagles, out of the Big Sky Conference, took the opening kickoff and marched to a 44-yard field goal from Seth Harrison and 3-0 lead not quite six minutes into the game. The Gators, though, answered instantly with Richardson dropping a 75-yard touchdown bomb to Justin Shorter on their first play from scrimmage. That started a run of 52 unanswered points for the home team, their most to date in five games under Coach Billy Napier. For the afternoon, Florida totaled 666 yards of offense, which tied for the seventh-most in program history, versus EWU's 411. Richardson, who exited the game for a half-dozen plays in the second quarter after an awkward-landing pass attempt, hit eight of his 10 throws and also had an interception on a deep ball thrown into double coverage. Kitna finished 8-for-12 for 152 yards, with a 62-yard scoring strike to true freshman Caleb Douglas. Reserve tailbackLorenzo Lingard's 11-yard touchdown run with 11:53 to play put the Gators up 52-3. Eastern Washington was led by quarterback Gunner Talkington, who went 24 of 37 for 250 yards and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass midway into the fourth quarter for the Eagles' first trip into the end zone. They added a second TD with 3:17 to go when backup QB Kekoa Visperas ran 25 yards up the middle of the UF defense to wrap the game's scoring.
Justin Shorter (4) shares a jig with fellow wideout Xzavier Henderson (3) after his 75-yard touchdown reception UF's first play from scrimmage Sunday at the "Swamp." (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
WHAT IT MEANS: So far this season it's been win one, lose one, win one, lose one, win one. As such, the Gators are back above .500, with all three of their victories out of Southeastern Conference play. UF has now won 15 consecutive regular-season non-league games, dating to the 2018 season-opening 53-6 victory over Charleston Southern. The Gators' last non-conference defeat in a regular season was a 38-22 loss at Florida State on Nov. 25, 2017.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Decent debut for Kitna, the son of 18-year NFL veteran Jon Kitna, who played his college football at Central Washington in Ellensburg, Wash., about 160 miles from Cheney, Wash., home to EWU. The younger Kitna, who was born in Tacoma during his father's days with the Seattle Seahawks, got the call because Jack Miller III, the transfer from Ohio State, remained out with a thumb injury suffered during the preseason. Miller was listed as "questionable" for the game, but did not dress out. He should be available if needed next week.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: OK, so it's not staggering in the least, but the Gators improved to 22-1 against FBS teams since 1981, with the lone loss the 2013 debacle against Georgia Southern, a 26-20 loss on the way to the program's first losing record in 34 years.
UP NEXT:The Gators (3-2, 0-2), with a short week, return to SEC play next Saturday, with another noon game, this one against Missouri (2-3, 0-2), which threw a nasty scare into No. 1-ranked Georgia before falling 26-22 Saturday night at Columbia. The winner of the UF-Mizzou game will climb out of the SEC East winless cellar.
