FSU football: 3 keys to Noles defeating Florida Gators

Make Anthony Richarson Throw It

I think Anthony Richardson will be their starter, so that assumption comes from reports from a couple of days ago. He reportedly injured one of his knees recently, so one wonders how close to 100 percent he’ll be? Nevertheless, he doesn’t scare me. He’s appeared in seven games, with most of his production coming against some awful defenses. The team defensive FEI ranking is in parenthesis:

• (No. 79) Florida Atlantic- 3 of 8 for 40 yards, 7 rushes for 140 yards
• (No. 119) South Florida- 3 of 3 for 152 yards, 4 rushes for 115 yards
• (No. 43) Kentucky- 1 of 1 for 8 yards, 5 rushes for 25 yards
• (No. 105) Vanderbilt- 4 of 6 for 25 yards, 5 rushes for 11 yards
• (No. 29) LSU- 10 of 19 for 167 yards, 7 rushes for 37 yards
• (No. 1) Georgia-12 of 20 for 82 yards, 12 rushes for 26 yards
• Samford-No Stats recorded

Richardson has completed 33 of 57 passes(57 percent) for 474 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions. The 40 rushes for 374 yards are impressive, but as you can see, most of it came against suspect defenses. He hasn’t been accurate and has allowed two sacks on 57 attempts. Part of making Richarson a passer is limiting their run game altogether. The QB run game has been a big part of their success. I would expect their coaches to run him a lot, as that would require the least amount of game planning and limit the weakest part of his game. FSU will need to punish him every time he runs and force him to throw the ball on third downs. They can’t allow him to escape the pocket, so filling gaps and containing him in the pocket is a must. If they limit the run and force Richardson to pass? I like their chances of forcing a turnover or the Florida offense not executing well enough to put up a lot of points.