Florida improved to 2-0 on the 2026 season after a 52-3 win over Campbell on Saturday night. The Gators have scored 50+ points in consecutive games to open the season for the first time since 2009. Florida totaled 514 yards of offense, marking its first back-to-back 500+ yard games since 2020.
Here are five early takeaways from the game.
Vernell Brown III’s historic game
Sophomore wide receiver Vernell Brown III stole the show, scoring three touchdowns in the first half alone, including back-to-back punt returns for touchdowns. His two punt-return touchdowns marked the first time the Gators have returned two punts for touchdowns in a game since 1996, when Jacquez Green did it against Kentucky, also on back-to-back returns.
Brown III had four punt returns for 173 yards. It’s the most punt-return yards in a single game in Florida history. He would have had 219 yards if not for a holding call on Jordy Lowery during the return. That total would have been the second-most in SEC history.
He also caught three catches for 43 yards including a 14 yard touchdown on an end around. Brown III became the first UF wide receiver with three touchdowns in a single game since WR Kadarius Toney vs. Missouri on Oct. 31, 2020.
Special teams is a strength again
It wasn’t just Vernell Brown III’s performance on special teams—it was a team effort. Florida got excellent blocking on both punt-return touchdowns. Bailey Stockton blocked two players with one block to pave the way for Brown III’s second touchdown.
Perimeter blocking isn’t something that only shows up on offense; it can be critical on special teams as well. That’s been a major storyline through two weeks of the 2026 season. The perimeter blocking is a night-and-day difference from the last few years, and it’s benefiting multiple areas of the game.
Punter Alec Clark got his first opportunity in Orange and Blue. He had two punts for 104 yards, with a long of 55. Florida even called a fake punt on 4th-and-14 while up 45-3, because why not? Clark came up a yard short of converting, but that kind of creativity is something that’s been missing from the unit for a long time. The Gators also came close to blocking a punt a few times.
Kicker Patrick Durkin continues to do his thing.
Florida’s punt returners have yet to fair-catch a punt inside the five-yard line, which seems like such a no-brainer but is something college football teams routinely mess up.
It’s clear that the unit is coached hard. They play with effort, and it’s been fun to watch.
Defense settled in
Florida’s defense got off to a rough start, allowing 68 yards on the opening drive and giving up the only three points of the game. They settled down, however, allowing just 142 yards of offense the rest of the way. Campbell came into the game averaging over 500 yards per game, granted, against FCS competition.
The Gators got beat on a screen pass on the opening possession for a 33-yard gain. Campbell went back to a variation of that screen a number of times, but Florida was ready for it every single time. Florida’s linebackers did a great job recognizing and reacting to the play.
Florida covered pretty well in the secondary down the stretch, too.
Florida got sloppy in the second half
The Gators were sloppy in the second half, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. They scored just seven points after putting up 45 in the first half and came pretty close to being outscored by Campbell if not for a missed field goal and a fumble on the goal line late in the game.
The biggest difference was the penalties. Florida was called for seven penalties in the second half, almost double its total from the first six quarters of the 2026 season (four). Two of those were personal fouls, which were drive killers.
There didn’t seem to be a ton of energy or effort in the second half, which I’m sure was partly due to the lopsided score, but it’s still not something you want to see from your team.
Is Florida SEC ready?
I left the game questioning whether Florida is SEC ready. I haven’t seen enough from the offensive or defensive lines to be confident that this team is ready for the challenge of the SEC. The SEC is built in the trenches. We know Florida has talent, but can it perform well enough at the line of scrimmage to have the season it wants?
We’re going to find out next week at Auburn.