Football is fun to him again and that’s good news for Trent Richardson.
During Friday’s matchup between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes, Alabama fans saw a running back that returned to being the type of player he was in college.
His last touchdown recorded as a professional was three years ago in the National Football League for the Indianapolis Colts; a time period that saw Richardson at his lowest point. In every attempt to revive his career and prove doubters wrong, the once five-star rusher and first-round pick turned in his first 100-yard performance since his rookie season in 2012 with Cleveland.
He totaled 120 yards rushing with two scores on 20 carries – leading Saskatchewan to a 37-12 victory and its 10th win on the season. Richardson, a native of Pensacola, Fla., averaged 6.4 yards per attempt, while his longest run went for 38 yards. He displayed a sense of vision and power between the tackles, and showed a burst of speed in the open field on his long run.
.@sskroughriders RB Trent Richardson bulldozes his way into the end zone for his first @CFL touchdown. #CFLGameDay #RiderPride pic.twitter.com/9gZeMe8Gcq
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 28, 2017
Behind Richardson’s outing, the Roughriders stand fourth in the West Division for the Canadian Football League and clinched a playoff berth on its road to pursuing a Grey Cup.
Prior to continuing his career in the CFL, Richardson was a fan favorite at the University of Alabama from 2009 to 2011. He accounted for 3,130 career rushing yards, 730 receiving yards and 42 touchdowns on 608 plays from scrimmage. His 1,679 yards rushing and 21 scores on 283 carries in 2011 set a single-season school record, until Derrick Henry surpassed him in 2015.
Richardson took home many accolades after the 2011 season, including unanimous All-American, first team All-SEC, SEC Offensive Player of the Year and Doak Walker Award.
He played on the Crimson Tide’s 2009 Southeastern Conference championship team and two BCS national title squads, before starting his professional career. The 27-year-old trained with former Tide receiver Mike McCoy in his time away from football, and it looks as though the co-founder of Warehouse Performance Institute in Birmingham has restored the drive back to him.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
