Mississippi State linebacker Zakari Tillman ejected for targeting, will miss first half vs. Texas

Mississippi State linebacker Zakari Tillman was called for targeting and ejected from a game against Florida in the second half on Saturday. As a result, he’ll miss the first half of next week’s game against Texas.

Tillman was flagged when he came around the right edge and hit Florida quarterback DJ Lagway. He made contact shortly after Lagway released the football, doing so with his helmet.

His blow caught Lagway in the helmet and was ruled as targeting on the field. The call was upheld via video replay.

Zakari Tillman had recorded one tackle in the contest, which Mississippi State was trailing 20-14 at the time of the infraction. He hadn’t had a huge impact in the game.

On the season, Zakari Tillman had gone into Saturday’s contest with 27 tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, a sack, an interception and one pass defended.

Florida loses receiver Vernell Brown III

While Mississippi State lost linebacker Zakari Tillman in the game due to the targeting, Florida lost one of its top targets in the passing game due to injury. Star freshman receiver Vernell Brown III was injured on a play late in the third quarter of a game against Mississippi State. He appeared to hurt something on his left side, possibly his shoulder, his arm or his wrist.

He came off the field holding his left wrist after taking a hit on a completion for nine yards on third-and-5. The catch resulted in a first-down conversion and extended a drive that would ultimately result in a touchdown for Florida.

But the injury to Vernell Brown III could be costly. He’s been one of the team’s top weapons, and he headed to the locker room early in the fourth quarter, according to GatorsOnline reporter Zach Abolverdi.

Prior to his injury, Brown was the leading receiver in the game for Florida. He had logged five catches for 95 yards, doing so on just six targets. He even had a 50-yard reception in the game.