Florida Gators dealt brutal news minutes before kickoff against the Georgia Bulldogs, and the frustration is mounting
Make no mistake about it: missing Vernell Brown III for a fourth-consecutive game is a brutal loss for the Florida Gators.
The Florida Gators are going to be without one of their best players against the Georgia Bulldogs. Florida ruled out wide receiver Vernell Brown III on the final injury report ahead of the 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday. Earlier in the week, the team had listed him as probable.
It appears that Brown suffered a minor setback with his knee injury, and it will keep him off the field against the Bulldogs. That’s a humongous loss for the Gators in one of the biggest games on their schedule.
Vernell Brown’s absence is a huge loss for the Florida Gators
Earlier this week, I wrote about how having Brown back would drastically improve the Gators’ receiving corps. On paper, a group of Brown, Dallas Wilson, and Eric Singleton Jr. gives Florida three players who can stress a defense in different ways. However, that trio has only played five total snaps together.
That number stings even more when you look at how it happened. Singleton injured his ankle while blocking on Brown’s 49-yard touchdown off a screen pass in the season opener against Florida Atlantic. Since then, the three of them haven’t been able to play together much at all.
It’s a big loss because the offense has been relatively stagnant without him. Florida hasn’t been able to create as much open space with its receivers as it would like, and Brown is the type of player who helps fix that. There’s no other way to say it: he’s one of the team’s best players.
Without him, more pressure falls on Wilson and Singleton to win their matchups and give the offense a spark. Against an opponent like Georgia, the Gators can’t afford to have long stretches where nothing is open.
Bailey Stockton could provide a lift
The good news is that Bailey Stockton might be able to play. He has apparently been pushing to suit up Saturday afternoon.
If Stockton does get on the field, it could end up being a huge win for the Gators. He has been a nice bright spot throughout the season with both Singleton and Brown out of the lineup at different points. While he isn’t a one-for-one replacement for Brown, he has given the offense a dependable option when it needed one.
Having Stockton available would at least give Florida some stability at the position. It won’t solve every problem the offense has had, but it would be a welcome boost on a day when the Gators lost a major piece.
A frustrating situation on multiple levels
Brown will now miss his fourth consecutive game. He hasn’t played since the Gators beat Ole Miss, and he had been an explosive stalwart for the offense before the injury. Listed as probable earlier in the week, he looked to be on track to finally return, which makes this news sting even more.
This really stinks for Florida. It’s incredibly frustrating on multiple levels, both for Brown and for an offense that has been searching for answers. The Gators need him back, and the hope was that this game would be it.
Instead, Florida has to find a way to move the ball against the Bulldogs without one of its most dynamic playmakers. Whether Stockton’s possible return can help fill that void will go a long way toward determining how this offense looks Saturday.
