BOULDER, Colo. (AP) – Paul Richardson has burst onto the scene almost as quickly as he blazes past startled safeties on his way to the end zone.
Maybe once the lanky University of Colorado wideout was overlooked and treated to single coverage.
Not any longer.
The secret’s out on Richardson after he hauled in 11 catches for a school-record 284 yards in an overtime loss to Cal last weekend. The speedy sophomore is tied with Florida International’s T.Y. Hilton – a Heisman hopeful – as the top receiver in the country with 333 yards so far.
And now the rest of college football is starting to discover what Colorado already knew: Richardson’s that good.
“Paul Richardson is a star in the making and we’re seeing it,” said first-year coach Jon Embree, whose Buffs (0-2) play rival Colorado State (2-0) on Saturday. “He’s learned so much and I’m confident that he’ll just keep growing.”
At this rate, Embree figures Richardson’s name could end up in more than just the record books.
“He could have his name up there in the stadium. He has that talent,” Embree said. “Right now, he has that work ethic and drive and hunger. So, as long as he keeps those and keeps working and grinding, he’ll have that opportunity.”
Richardson had a solid yet hardly spectacular freshman season, catching 34 passes for 514 yards and six TDs.
He’s almost eclipsed those numbers in just two games.
Now comes the difficult part: Keeping it going with defenses designing coverage schemes specifically with him in mind.
“He is an elite receiver there’s no question about that,” Rams coach Steve Fairchild said. “He’s got all the tools.”
The slenderly built Richardson has become a hit by simply avoiding them. That’s his mantra on the football field – run away from contact.
With his blazing speed, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound Richardson has done a good job of eluding his pursuers, ending up unscathed in the end zone four times in 14 catches this season.
He’s also developed quite a rapport with senior quarterback Tyler Hansen. The tandem spent the entire summer rehearsing every route in the playbook on a sun-baked field, just to develop the kind of cohesion that was on display against Cal.
“I kind of took it upon myself to say, ‘Hey, we need to be special. We need to have a connection this year,”’ said Hansen, who shredded the Golden Bears defense for a school-best 474 yards. “Paul’s done a great job. He’s worked on everything – his routes, knowing the defense. He’s a complete receiver now.”
With his sudden rise, the receiver known as “P-Rich” will be constantly shadowed all over the field. Not that Hansen’s too worried about teams shutting down his top target.
“We’re just going to have to be creative with how we use him – move him around, play him in different spots, use motion and shifts that will open him up,” Hansen said.
If that doesn’t work, just make Richardson angry. That seems to do the trick as well.
Richardson came into the huddle seething midway through the game with Cal. He was frustrated over the Buffs’ inability to punch the ball into the end zone and wanted the chance to do something about it.
So, the Buffs called his number – over and over again.
Richardson caught a short pass from Hansen late in the third quarter and turned it into a 66-yard TD run in which he was hardly touched.
On the next series, Richardson did the same thing, only this time racing for 78 yards, again barely brushed.
“When I get frustrated, I sort of demand the ball in a way,” said Richardson, who originally signed with UCLA before arriving in Boulder.
By demanding the ball, Richardson easily topped the Colorado record of 222 yards set by Walter Stanley in 1981 and matched by Rae Carruth in 1996.
If Richardson keeps this up, Michael Westbrook’s school mark of 2,548 yards receiving just may be in jeopardy.
“I think Paul Richardson has an opportunity to be a guy that is mentioned with some of the best that have played here,” Embree said.
For now, Richardson, 19, will settle for picking up that elusive first win of 2011. The Buffs stumbled during the opener in Hawaii and came up short against Cal. Hansen has already labeled the contest against the Rams as a “must-win.”
That’s because looming on the schedule is a trip to Ohio State and then the start of their inaugural season in the Pac-12.
“There’s definitely a sense of urgency,” said Richardson, who was a standout receiver and defensive back at Serra High School in Gardena, Calif. “But there’s no panic button we have to press. We have a chip on our shoulder. We’re 0-2 so we don’t have a choice.”
As for his role as the playmaker in this offense, it’s one Richardson is relishing.
“I like that type of pressure,” Richardson said. “My whole life I’ve been a leader so for them to put that pressure on me and give me that role as the ‘go-to’ guy or the playmaker, I just appreciate it.”
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