Mizzou Central

Florida Offensive Players to Watch vs Mizzou in Week 6

The Gators bring a talented but young offense to the field in 2022

Matt Galatzan

Florida Offensive Players to Watch vs Mizzou in Week 6
Florida Offensive Players to Watch vs Mizzou in Week 6 /
In this story:

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. 

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

Follow MizzouSportsTalk.com on Facebook and Twitter!

Want More Tigers News? Check Out The Latest In Mizzou Tigers News Here

Published
Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of MizzouSportsTalk.com, AllAggies.com and LonghornsCountry.com, as well as the Editor-In-Chief of InsideTheBears.com, TheGroveReport.com, RamDigest.com, AllSeahawks.com, and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com

Home/Football