Anthony Richardson still on the mend

The No. 11 Florida Gators are welcoming in Tennessee this week but the main focus in Gator Nation remains backup quarterback Anthony Richardson's right hamstring.

Richardson injured his hamstring during an 80-yard touchdown run against USF in the second week of the season and did not play the following week against No. 1 Alabama. Richardson was medically cleared to play but was held back as a precaution.

"I mean he’s looking good. We haven’t really opened him up a whole lot. It is a little bit similar to last week that we’re going to do an MRI and see where he’s at and do a full test on Friday to give him the maximum time to get to 100 percent," Dan Mullen said on the SEC teleconference Wednesday. "We’ve done more at practice with him this week than we did last week even of opening him up some but we haven’t gotten him on a full sprint yet. I feel I would think he’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”

Richardson warmed up on the field before the Alabama game and even threw in a backflip to really get the crowd worked up but spent the whole game on the sideline. The debate on whether to play Richardson or to sit him waged on as Alabama built a 21-3 lead. Emory Jones and the Gators were able to come back, falling just short to the Tide.

When asked about the decision to sit Richardson, Mullen's response revealed a longterm approach.

"hen you have a hamstring it’s not like a sprained ankle. When you look at injuries that hey he can go on, it’s not going to get worse, he might not be 100 percent but he’s not going to make it worse during the course of the game," Mullen said. "His is he’s not going to be 100 percent and if he plays he definitely can make it worse. That was one we talked about going into the game."

Richardson not being given the clearance to go full out in practice this week would tend to show that his availability this week against Tennessee isn't going to be much different than it was a week ago, despite Mullen's optimism.