FAYETTEVILLE — A healthy Kevin Richardson would’ve spent much of the Texas A&M game shadowing Aggie All-SEC receiver Christian Kirk.
Instead, Arkansas’ coaching staff made the decision to hold the senior nickel back out after watching him go through warmups before the game. Richardson sustained a high-ankle injury against TCU and the bye week didn’t provide enough time for it to fully heal.
“Just where he was, he wasn’t at a level where he could’ve done that as efficiently as we needed him to,” defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said. “And deep down, Kevin knew that. He’s such a competitor, it really hurt him not being out there with his teammates.”
Richardson only played 3 snaps as a result of the decision, with Josh Liddell sliding down to nickel from his safety spot to fill the void.
“It’s frustrating to me to not be able to be out there and make the plays,” Richardson said.
Kirk was a huge factor in the game, both on offense and special teams. He returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score late in the fourth quarter and also finished with five catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns, including what proved to be the game-winning grab in the 50-43 overtime win.
Richardson is on track to play against New Mexico State and its spread offense Saturday, an addition that’ll allow Liddell to shift back to his natural position.
“Him being there and having that experience that he has, the things that he can do, is big for us in the secondary,” Liddell said.
Liddell had 3 tackles, 2 solo, against the Aggies and graded out at 85.4 percent, according to Pro Football Focus, making him the second-most productive safety in the SEC for the week. But moving him back to safety gets the veteran Richardson back in the mix and allows Liddell to again platoon with Coley, who safety Santos Ramirez indicated blew a coverage on Kirk’s 81-yard touchdown catch in the first half.
Richardson, a fifth-year senior, has had to battle through injuries over the course of the last year after suffering a season-ending pectoral tear in the Razorbacks’ 2016 season opener.
“Just to see my guys go out there and give everything they have and play so well, it’s just disappointing to not be able to contribute to the game the way I want to,” Richardson said.
His return makes the defense more whole again.
“He’s been here a lot longer than everybody else,” linebacker Dre Greenlaw said. “Just his lead and his example on the field, he’s always knowing what to do, doing his job and he’s a good playmaker, a tackler in space and he’s a big help for our defense.”