Paul Finebaum addresses whether Florida with Anthony Richardson is a true SEC contender

The Florida Gators had one of the biggest statement wins of the weekend, taking down No. 7 Utah 29-26 in a thriller in the Swamp on Saturday. Starting quarterback Anthony Richardson went into the game with high estimations and walked out as a leading candidate for the Heisman.

On Sports Center, Paul Finebaum discussed what he believes the emergence of Richardson means for the Florida squad’s pursuit of an SEC title. The ESPN analyst and host believes the dual-threat quarterback can help the Gators give the Bulldogs a run for their money. However, they have to battle Kentucky and Tennessee first.

“I think he can do it, ultimately they have to get by Georgia in October but forget about Georgia for a second,” Finebaum said. “Right now, Florida has Kentucky next. Kentucky is a team a lot of us could be 3rd or 4th in the SEC. They’re a little short-handed.

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“A few weeks from now, Richardson and company have to go to Knoxville to take on the ‘it team’ this year. We will find out very quickly but I think he’s capable. He reminds me a bit of Cam Newton… a little bit of Lamar Jackson. He is outstanding.”

Versus the Utes, Richardson passed for 168 yards while completing 17 of 24 attempts. He also rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns on eleven carries.

Napier jokes about Richardson’s performance versus Utah

Speaking with the media following the victory over No. 7 Utah, first-year head coach Billy Napier made a joke regarding his wife when describing the performance of his quarterback.

“My wife can call plays with that guy at quarterback,” Napier said. “I mean, tonight there is at least four plays right off the top of my head where we’ve got a concept called, and he works his way through it and then you know, he just becomes that guy. So his legs are, they’re a difference maker, and you saw it tonight. The fourth down play on the last drive, I mean, there was multiple. The two-point conversion, I mean come on.

“Let me tell you something, he did that exact same thing in practice one day. I’m talking about the exact scenario. So I think that we’re figuring out here that this guy is a pretty special player.”

On3’s Stephen Samra contributed to this report.