Florida QB Anthony Richardson Injured Knee Dancing at Team Hotel, per HC Dan Mullen

Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson injured his knee dancing at the team hotel Friday prior to the Gators' 40-17 loss to South Carolina on Saturday.

Head coach Dan Mullen said Monday that the redshirt freshman would have been available to play against the Gamecocks if the circumstances required it. An MRI on Richardson's knee didn't show any significant damage.

To some extent, the arc of Richardson's season mirrors that of his team.

The 6'4" signal-caller threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns while running for 275 yards and two scores in Florida's first two games. Some were already calling for him to replace Emory Jones as the starting quarterback.

Richardson was unavailable against Alabama as the Gators fell 31-29 and maintained a level of respect in a losing effort.

Mullen's squad has since gone into a tailspin, and a 34-7 defeat to Georgia seemed to show the head coach was justified all along in waiting to turn the reins over to Richardson.

With less than three minutes left in the first half, Florida was trailing 3-0. Richardson lost a fumble and threw two interceptions on three successive drives as the Gators suddenly found themselves down 24-0 at halftime.

Perhaps things would've gone differently against South Carolina if Richardson had been healthy, but Jones put together a good enough stat line (17-of-30, 258 yards, two touchdowns and one interception).

Mullen could've had Tom Brady under center and it wouldn't have helped a defense that allowed the Gamecocks to gain 459 yards, including 284 on the ground. The performance cost defensive coordinator Todd Grantham his job.

The circumstances surrounding Richardson's injury add to a season Mullen and Florida fans will soon want to forget.