KSL UNRIVALED
Devin Kaufusi: ‘We Want To Get A Good Hit On’ Florida QB Anthony Richardson
Aug 31, 2022, 10:52 AM
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 16: Devin Kaufusi #90 of the Utah Utes reacts as he leaves the field after upsetting the Arizona State Sun Devils October 16, 2021 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah has a sizeable opportunity to put itself on the map even more than they already are when they go on the road to face the Florida Gators this Saturday evening (5 p.m., ESPN).
The Utes are well inside the top 10 and a win over a national brand from the SEC – even one that may not be great – will be a boon for the Utes and the Pac-12.
The Gators have a new coach in Billy Napier who is coming over from a successful run at Louisiana and will attempt to fix what went wrong under former coach Dan Mullen.
Napier does have some weapons on this team and one of the more exciting players is quarterback Anthony Richardson. Richardson has been described as everything from erratic to a potential first-round NFL Draft pick. He is a big unknown but is full of potential.
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Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham gave Richardson extreme praise by comparing him to former Heisman trophy and national title-winning quarterback Cam Newton.
“You have to account for the QB in the run game every single down. The guy reportedly has 4.3 speed. At that size, it’s incredible. It’s Cam Newton-ish type of numbers with his physical stature and his ability to run,” Whittingham said at his Monday press conference. “That’s something that the defensive staff is well aware of and that’s gotta be taken into account in virtually everything you do.”
Utah’s defensive end Devin Kaufusi joins Unrivaled every week and one of the big focuses he has on this game is to minimize what Richardson can do.
“I think what pops out with him is people talk about his stature and his size and his speed,” Kaufusi said. “I think he’s a really tall guy, heavier than most quarterbacks. He might be one of the biggest quarterbacks, probably the biggest quarterback we see all year, especially as a defensive line. As the defensive stuff, we take into account this guy. He’s tall, he can run. They’ll be part of their game plan for sure. I was prepping for a running quarterback is huge and just understanding that.”
The running ability and the style of his play is different compared to a drop-back quarterback. That just means the defensive line will be approaching defending him less like a quarterback but more like a runner.
Once Richardson gets out of the backfield this Ute defense wants to make him feel it when he decides to tuck the ball and run.
.@devskaufusi joined @KSLunrivaled and gave his thoughts on how to defend Florida QB Anthony Richardson.#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/dLBGwUj0eP
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 31, 2022
“It changes a lot. We’ve been practicing with our scout program who have given us a good look. They’re able to keep players alive, so you just got to keep your motor going,” Kaufusi added. “Everyone to the ball, everyone breaking the stack. We also understand running quarterback.
“If he’s going to run, we want to make sure we put a good hit on him, make him feel it especially as a defense, our main goal is stop the run. Whether it’s with the running back or quarterback design plays as well as when it comes to passing. Having balanced pass rush lanes is really big when you have a running quarterback. Don’t give him such a big lane that he can see right away and you can tuck the ball and take off downfield.”
One note about Richardson is that he is very inexperienced. He has completed just 39 passes in his Florida career and has played in just 10 career games. The optimism is there as he was a four-star recruit coming out of high school. The hype machine is being fueled by potential and Utah and its defense need to pay attention to the dual-threat nature of Richardson.
The best plan of action is to not let him run and find a lane to take off and also to force him to stay in the pocket and make multiple reads. This Ute defense is experienced and well-coached and should be able to keep Richardson in check.
Tune into Unrivaled every Monday through Friday, 3-7 p .m. on 1280 The Zone and 97.5 FM, or subscribe to the podcast. Also, download the all-new KSL Sports app on iOS or Android.
