Showdown in the Swamp

Levis, Richardson ready to battle in matchup of top quarterbacks

Todd McShay could barely contain himself. No sooner had the curtain dropped on the first full Saturday of college football than ESPN’s NFL Draft analyst proclaimed his excitement for a particular college football matchup this Saturday.

“After what we’ve seen tonight,” McShay tweeted, “I can’t wait to scout QB Anthony Richardson live next week vs. Kentucky. Richardson vs. UK QB Will Levis is the best QB scouting matchup of the first month of the CFB season.”

That’s right, Cats vs. Gators, 7 p.m. Saturday in Gainesville on ESPN. Is it too early to call it The Showdown in The Swamp? Of course not. Ranked 20th in the AP preseason poll, Kentucky opened with a 37-13 win over Miami (Ohio). Soon to be ranked, Florida opened with a 29-26 victory over visiting and seventh-ranked Utah. The last time UK and UF played each other as ranked foes was 2007 - UK was No. 8; Florida was No. 14.

The last four years, Mark Stoops’ Wildcats are 2-2 versus the Gators. That helped Dan Mullen become former Florida coach Dan Mullen. Billy Napier is now in charge. Napier went 40-12 in four years at Louisiana.

His Florida debut was a memorable before 90,799 home fans, a record for a UF opener.

But this Saturday’s most important matchup will come at the most important position. As we all know, Kentucky’s quarterback is Will Levis, the 6-foot-3, 232-pound senior flamethrower from Madison, chock-full of NFL traits. Florida’s quarterback is Anthony Richardson, the 6-foot-4, 232-pound redshirt sophomore with uber athletic ability. Sports Illustrated has Levis going No. 7 and Richardson No. 9 in next year’s NFL draft.

In Kentucky’s opening-night win, Levis completed 21 of 32 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. In Florida’s opening-night win, Richardson completed 17 of 24 passes for 168 yards. He also ran the football 11 times for 106 yards and three touchdowns - an eye-popping 9.6 yards per carry.

Playing behind a revamped offensive line, Levis operated under pressure most of the night. He was sacked four times as Miami’s stunts and twists found gaps in UK’s pass protection. And when Levis did have time to throw, he sometimes missed easy targets. “I’ve never been more disappointed in a 300

John Amis / Associated Press Kentucky quarterback Will Levis throws a pass during a game against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday in Lexington, Ky.