Florida’s first injury report for Kentucky delivered the news Gators fans were bracing for: Vernell Brown III is out.
Brown, who hasn’t played since the Sept. 26 game against Ole Miss, was listed as out for Saturday night’s road matchup with the 7-2 Wildcats. That’s a step back from the last two weeks, when he showed up as questionable and at least left the door open for a return.
Here’s the initial injury report for the game:
WR Vernell Brown III - Out
S Bryce Thornton - Out
ILB Jaden Robinson - Out
TE Evan Chieca - Out
JCK Kofi Asare - Questionable
DL DK Kalu - Questionable
Florida is also down starting safety Bryce Thornton, while Jaden Robinson and Evan Chieca remain sidelined after being out last week as well. Kofi Asare and DK Kalu are listed as questionable.
At his weekly press conference, Coach Sumrall addressed Brown’s absence and said the offense hasn’t fully adjusted to losing him. He also made it clear Brown wants back on the field.
"Offensively, I think a struggle has been we haven't adapted well from the loss of VB,'" Sumrall said. "I mean and to be abundantly clear VB wants to play all right he really wants to play like I saw him today he's like coach I'm getting better I'm fighting like but he wants to play and he's he's struggling with that but I think when you put a lot in for maybe certain guys and things maybe to some degree are built for them package wise we we maybe haven't done a good enough job of finding who's next."
Before the injury, Brown had 17 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
Florida’s task was already a tough one with Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey having thrown for 1,979 yards and 14 touchdowns against just two interceptions. Now the Gators will have to deal with that challenge without Brown in the lineup, and it’s still not clear who will start at quarterback for Florida on Saturday.
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