Brandon Spikes Suspended for a Half for Attempted Eye Gouge

Florida has suspended linebacker Brandon Spikes for the first half of Saturday's game against Vanderbilt for attempting to gouge the eyes of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey in this weekend's game.

The punishment is surprisingly light, considering the nature of the offense: It doesn't get much dirtier than poking an opponent in the eye, and it's surprising that Florida coach Urban Meyer didn't give Spikes at least a full game suspension. Meyer claimed, however, that Spikes was retaliating for a Georgia player cheap-shotting him earlier in the game, and he said he thinks his punishment was appropriate:

"I don't condone that and I understand what goes on on the football [field], but there's no place for that,'' Meyer said. "We're going to suspend Brandon for the first half of the Vanderbilt game. I spoke with him. That's not who he is. That's not who we are. He got caught up in emotion. I love Brandon Spikes. Our team does. We're going to move on. He has our full support."

Video has circulated of Spikes sticking his fingers into Ealey's face mask while Easley was at the bottom of a pile, and that video has infuriated Georgia fans, who have been calling for the SEC to deal harshly with Spikes. It's still possible that the SEC could come down harder on Spikes than Florida did, but for now, Spikes will just have to sit out a half, and then take the field in the third quarter against Vanderbilt.