Last season, wide receivers Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson showed flashes of excellence, and running back Jadan Baugh emerged as one of the best runners in the nation. But in Florida’s 52-3 rout over Campbell Saturday, the Gators’ terrific trio dialed it up to a whole other level.
Brown followed up his first collegiate touchdown last Saturday with the most impressive performance of his career. The third-generation Gator had an otherworldly 219 punt return yards and two house calls in just over three minutes of game time, becoming the first Florida player to score on multiple returns since Jacquez Green did so in 1996. He then scored a 14-yard receiving touchdown to complete the first wide-receiver hat trick since Kadarius Toney in 2020.
“I thought clearly VB in the return game came through,” head coach Jon Sumrall said. “It was really clutch with what he did with the ball in his hands on those two punt returns, the third one that we had the penalty on. He did some really nice things in the return game.”
Wilson, meanwhile, finished the contest as UF’s leading receiver with 104 yards and on five catches. Wilson put his big-play ability on full display in the second quarter when Florida quarterback Aaron Philo found the Tampa native wide open before the wideout weaved left and burst into the end zone for a score matching his jersey No. 6.
And Baugh, who stormed for 160 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries last Saturday, practically matched his magnificent season-opening performance. On another 14 carries, the junior back ran for 136 yards and two scores, including a new career-long 75-yard touchdown scurry on his final carry of the evening.
“It’s fun to see him hit that long one,” Sumrall said. “Last year I think his longest was 23 yards. For him to have two in back-to-back weeks that were long ones, it’s fun. I thought he did a nice job.”
With Philo at command of the offense for the second consecutive game, he put up extremely similar numbers to his stat line in UF’s 66-21 win over FAU.
The Bogart, Georgia, native completed 16 of 21 attempts, exactly as he did in the opener, this time for 242 yards and two touchdown passes. The junior signal caller also punched in a score on the ground for the second straight game, finishing with 13 rushing yards on three carries.
“I thought he’s played really, really efficient,” Sumrall said. “He’s operated well. He’s been a great leader. He’s communicated at a high level. I think we’re playing good football with him in the game right now. He’s just got to continue to get better.”
Sophomore Tramell Jones Jr. also saw playing time once again and was solid, hitting the mark on 8 of 11 pass attempts for 58 yards. He did throw an interception in the fourth quarter as he was hit from behind. The ball was tipped by Campbell’s Ebenezer Bedada and caught by Jack Butler.
While Florida’s quarterbacks made their mark, Baugh showed why many consider him the top runner in the country. Demonstrating elite contact balance and vision, Baugh was able to deliver an elite performance even while the Campbell defense stacked the box to try and limit his effectiveness and UF’s offensive line didn’t part the sea as much as Sumrall would have liked.
“I thought he did a nice job,” Sumrall said. “I thought we didn't maybe provide him as many rushing lanes as we should have up front tonight. I don't think we played awful with the first group on the O-line, but I don't think we're where we need to be yet either. Jadan did some really good things.”
While his 75-yard score was the headliner of Baugh’s performance, his first touchdown came on a direct snap in the Wildcat formation, a key element of offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner’s offense. The formation, which UF refers to as “Columbia”, is named after Baugh’s high school.
Brown, UF’s leading receiver as a true freshman in 2025, and Wilson, who only made four appearances but scored three touchdowns last season, were on their game, and they carried themselves like it throughout the contest.
After scoring for the third time on the night, Brown counted his touchdown tally with his hands in the end zone. Meanwhile, when Wilson waltzed into the end zone, he stretched his arms wide before performing a high-octane touchdown celebration. Brown and Wilson also put on their own performance of Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down” in the third quarter, with the former strumming an air guitar alongside Albert the Gator.
The night was truly a showcase of business and fun for the star wideouts.
“That was fun to see VB make those plays and create that momentum for us,” Sumrall said.
He later added, “I thought Dallas played really well … Dallas is a really talented player, man. High ceiling. Just going to continue to get better and better and better. I'm excited about where he's headed.”
While Florida was without starter Eric Singleton Jr., wideouts Bailey Stockton, TJ Abrams, Kahleil Jackson and Justin Williams all contributed to the victory with multi-catch performances. Stockton, who had a touchdown last Saturday, was Florida’s third-leading receiver on the afternoon with four catches and 41 yards. He also made an excellent block on two Campbell potential would-be tacklers on Brown’s second return score.
The Florida tight end room also got involved both in the air and in the trenches. Luke Harpring emerged as the go-to receiver in the unit, making three grabs for 33 yards. He also contributed in the blocking game as well, making a key block downfield during Wilson’s 40-yard touchdown.
“Thanks to Luke continuing to block, I had shook the last guy,” Wilson said. “Luke [was] doing an amazing job blocking for me.”
Meanwhile, Amir Jackson and Lacota Dippre both contributed as blockers and core special-teamers. Dippre even fielded two kickoffs and got 30 return yards in the contest.
Florida’s offensive line performed admirably, allowing only two tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry, as well as zero sacks. However, discipline was an issue, as starting right guard TJ Shanahan Jr. was benched in the third quarter after recording back-to-back holding and unnecessary roughness penalties. His replacement, Roderick Kearney, also picked up an unnecessary roughness call moments later.
Overall, Florida had eight penalties for 95 yards, which Sumrall called “frustrating.”
“The second half, every time you felt like we had an explosive play, there's another penalty flag, another penalty flag,” Sumrall said. “You can't do that. The Gators can't beat the Gators.”
A good sign, however, was the improved snapping of center Harrison Moore. After multiple high snaps against the Owls, Moore was as steady as could be in the heart of the Gator offensive line.
Now with over 1,100 yards of offense to their names, the Gators (2-0) will head to Jordan-Hare Stadium to kick off SEC play against rival Auburn (2-0) Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. ET.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X @CuranAhern.
Max Bernstein is a fourth-year sports and media journalism major and sports management minor. This Fall, he is a Sports Editor and a Florida Gators and Jacksonville Jaguars reporter at The Alligator. Now in his ninth semester with The Alligator, Max previously served in roles including Digital Managing Editor, Sports Editor, Assistant Sports Editor and Football Reporter. He has also made appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. In the rare moments Max isn't working, he's usually with his girlfriend Reese, watching sports with his fraternity brothers or missing his family and his two cats.
Curan is a senior sports journalism student in his sixth semester at The Alligator. He is currently a sports editor and football beat reporter for the Gators and the Jaguars. He previously served as a men's tennis and sports enterprise reporter, and he is pursuing a public relations minor.
