Bailey Stockton kept pushing through the pain for Florida, but Saturday brought another setback the Gators could not afford.
The senior wide receiver, a key piece of Florida’s passing attack, left the game against No. 7 Texas in Austin after suffering a non-contact ankle injury. Stockton had already been listed as a game-time decision on Saturday morning’s SEC injury report, but he still suited up and got to work before the injury cut his day short.
Before exiting, Stockton had been productive, catching four passes for 31 yards while Tramell Jones made his first start at quarterback. For Florida, the loss landed hard. The Gators are trying to settle in with a new starter under center and were already dealing with the frustration of two straight defeats.
Stockton entered the game with 23 catches for 258 yards and two touchdowns, numbers he’d piled up while playing through injury. He had also managed to appear in every game this season, even as the bumps and bruises kept coming.
His toughness had already been on display a week earlier after Florida’s loss to South Carolina. After that game, Stockton explained why he kept putting himself out there for the team.
“I’m banged up, but the team needs a win. The more players that play means we have a better opportunity,” Stockton was quoted as saying in a social media post by alligatorSports after the Week 6 home setback to the Gamecocks.
Saturday’s injury only added to a rough stretch for Florida’s wide receiver room, and it came at a time when Stockton was still trying to help the offense hold together.
In Other News...
Floridas Texas Game Suddenly Rests On One Huge QB Decision
Aaron Philos shoulder issue has turned Floridas trip to Texas into more than just another late-season road test. The Gators are waiting until game time to see whether their quarterback is available, and that uncertainty ripples through the offense because if Philo cant go, Tramell Jones is in line for the first start of his career.
The rest of the injury picture is just as unsettled, with Vernell Brown III and Bailey Stockton also listed as game-time decisions. Florida already knows it will be without backup running back Duke Clark, which only adds to the list of moving parts the staff has to sort out before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Just Proved It Can Still Take Down SEC Heavyweights
Floridas win over Texas did more than just hand the Longhorns a bruising home loss. It also showed that the Gators can still rise to the moment against elite opposition, with backup quarterback Tramell Jones delivering two touchdown passes in the upset and helping Florida claim a 27-24 road win over the top-ranked team.
Arch Manning finished 14 of 20 for 173 yards and a touchdown, but Texas still stumbled to a second straight defeat after entering the slide at No. 1. For Florida, the victory carried extra weight because it marked the programs first season since 2012 in which it has beaten two top-10 teams, a reminder that the Gators can still land a punch when the stakes climb. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Just Handed Arch Manning A Problem Texas Can't Ignore
Arch Manning came out of the game with a decent box score, but Florida made life uncomfortable enough to leave Texas with a far bigger concern than the final numbers suggest. The Gators mixed pressure with enough discipline on the back end to force Manning into hurried decisions, and the Texas offense never fully settled in after a running game that showed some early pop but faded once the game tightened.
On the other sideline, Tramell Jones Jr. was making his first career start and looked composed enough to help Florida control the game in ways that mattered. He contributed through the air and on the ground, giving the Gators a steadier rhythm while Texas kept fighting protection issues, including multiple sacks that turned key snaps into setbacks and left the Longhorns searching for answers they cannot afford to ignore. [Read more 🡒]