One of the biggest breakout stars for Arizona so far this season will be on the shelf for at least one game.
Coach Brent Brennan announced Monday that sophomore wide receiver Giovannit Richardson would be out “a little bit” due to what he described as a lower-extremity injury suffered in Saturday’s 28-17 loss at BYU. Richardson appeared to get injured in the second quarter on the last of his five receptions for 48 yards, which led the Wildcats for the game.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Richardson leads
the UA with 14 receptions for 161 yards, including nine catches in the season-opening win over NAU. No other receiver has more than seven catches, and that’s Rodney Gallagher III, who stepped in for Richardson and had five at BYU including one on 4th down in the 4th quarter where he came up just short of converting with the UA down 21-17.
Richardson’s absence will give more reps to Gallagher but could also open the door for freshman Caleb ‘Jet’ Smith to get more targets. Smith, who is Arizona’s primary punt returner, has caught one pass in each game.
There is no availability report for the Week 3 game against Northern Illinois, a nonconference opponent.
