There’s an old saying in football that, oftentimes, the fans’ favorite player is the backup quarterback.

And that definitely might be the case in Gainesville this year when it comes to Florida’s Anthony Richardson.

The 6-4, 236-pound sophomore electrified the crowd at The Swamp on Saturday night in the Gators’ 35-14 win over Florida Atlantic, as he came off the bench to complete 3-of-8 passes for 40 yards, while also adding 7 carries for 160 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown run.

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The performance created plenty of buzz, and on Monday during his weekly press conference, Florida coach Dan Mullen was asked about Richardson and the fans wanting to see more of him.

Mullen said he understood the sentiment and referred to a past experience when he was a Gators assistant coach.

“There’s always enthusiasm for everybody,” Mullen said of his QB situation. “… I was here in 2006; there was huge enthusiasm for Tim Tebow, and he played 6-7 plays a game.”

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Mullen was also quick to caution those same fans that while Richardson made some great plays Saturday night, he still has plenty of room for improvement.

“He knows the offense … He made some spectacular plays, but missed some simple checks,” Mullen added.

For more of Mullen’s thoughts on Richardson, as well as other thoughts about the Gators, the head coach’s full press conference can be seen below.