GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The No. 21 Florida Gators held a 17-6 lead over No. 4 Ole Miss at the half, with running back Jadan Baugh scoring both of Florida's touchdowns.
His second, a two-yard rush with 2:51 left in the half, came as a result of a scary play involving Florida receiver Bailey Stockton .
On third-and-eight at the Rebels' 25-yard line, Stockton went for a pass across the middle from Aaron Philo , and after the ball went through his hands, he took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Ole Miss safety Joenel Aguero . Aguero was ejected for targeting after review, with his penalty putting the Gators on the five-yard line.
TJ Abrams recorded a reception off of Stockton's tip as well.
Stockton left the game and was seen holding his back on the sideline while being attended to by trainers. Stockton had three catches for 24 yards at the time of his injury. He is now up to 12 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown on the season.
However, Stockton appears set to return for the third quarter.
"Bailey Stockton is a heckuva football player, one of the toughest kids you'll ever be around," offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner said earlier this season. "He's been in some loaded wide receiver rooms, so we have zero doubt. If he's gonna play 90 snaps, he'll go out there and give you everything he's got for 90 snaps. He knows the offense, he's faster than you think, he gets open probably as good as anybody."
Stockton is one of three injuries to a contributing Gators receiver this season. Expected starter Eric Singleton Jr. has not played since the opening drive of the season-opener due to an ankle injury. He was listed as a game-time decision for Saturday's game and participated in warm-ups. Despite dressing out, he did not play a snap through one half of play.
"He maybe could have gone, but I wasn't going to let his desire to play in that situation override common sense. Common sense has to prevail," head coach Jon Sumrall said on Monday of the decision to not play Singleton Jr. against Auburn. "You force a guy like that back too soon with his skillset, and then something bad happens that we could have avoided, and then you set him back four more weeks. It's like, 'Well, that was a bad idea.' He may come back when he's right. You never know what's going to happen with a guy, but we're going to make good, educated decisions about his return."
Vernell Brown III also left the game in the second quarter with an apparent injury. He is currently on Florida's sideline without a helmet or his gloves on.
With Brown III likely out, Florida will rely on Dallas Wilson to carry the load with Abrams, Kahleil Jackson and Micah Mays Jr. in supporting roles. Singleton Jr. returned to the field for the third quarter.
Florida leads, 17-14, after an Ole Miss touchdown to open the half.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as Watch: Ole Miss DB Joenel Aguero Ejected for Targeting Against Florida's Bailey Stockton .
