The Florida Gators beat No. 7 Texas Longhorns 27-24 on Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, rallying from a 10-point first-half deficit and surviving a late Arch Manning scoring drive to hand the Longhorns their second straight loss. Tramell Jones Jr. threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns for Florida, which improved to 5-2, while Texas dropped to 4-2.
Florida erased a 17-3 deficit by scoring 24 of the final 31 points. Jadan Baugh’s 11-yard touchdown run with 6:22 left put the Gators up 27-17. Texas answered with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Cam Coleman with 4:21 remaining, but Myles Graham sacked Manning on the ensuing Texas drive, forcing a fumble that Florida recovered with 1:58 left to seal the win.
Takeaways From Florida’s Win Over Texas
Texas’ fast start did not hold up
Texas scored on its first two possessions, getting a 32-yard touchdown run from Raleek Brown and a 38-yard field goal from Gianni Spetic to take a 10-0 lead before Florida had managed a point. The Longhorns piled up 135 yards on those first two drives but gained only 67 yards over their next three series before halftime, a sign of the offensive stall that would define the rest of the afternoon.
Florida’s third-quarter surge flipped the game
Florida opened the second half with a 69-yard, 15-play drive that consumed more than half of the third quarter and ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Lacota Dippre, tying the score at 17-17. The Gators ran 22 plays in the third quarter to Texas’ six and converted five third downs in the period, while the Longhorns managed just eight total yards and one first down over the first 24-plus minutes of the second half.
Manning’s fumble capped a rough finish for Texas
Arch Manning connected with Emmett Mosley V for a 62-yard completion that set up his touchdown throw to Coleman with 4:21 to play, cutting Florida’s lead to 27-24. But Manning was sacked three times on the day, and Graham’s sack with 1:58 remaining jarred the ball loose, giving Florida the possession it needed to run out the clock. Texas finished 2 of 10 on third down.
Player Of The Game: Jadan Baugh
Florida running back Jadan Baugh carried 25 times for 91 yards and the go-ahead touchdown, controlling the tempo as the Gators leaned on their ground game to wear down the Texas defense, which entered the game ranked 110th nationally. Baugh’s workload helped Florida hold the ball for 38 minutes and 11 seconds compared to 21:49 for Texas.
Florida Vs. Texas By The Numbers
Florida out-gained Texas 313 yards to 272 and finished with 21 first downs compared to 13 for the Longhorns. The Gators converted 8 of 19 third downs and both of their fourth-down attempts, while Texas managed just 2 of 10 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth down. Florida did not turn the ball over, while Texas lost one fumble, the Manning fumble that ended its final scoring threat.
Tramell Jones Jr. completed 22 of 35 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 10 times for 41 yards. Arch Manning finished 14 of 20 for 173 yards, one touchdown and one fumble lost.
What It Means
Texas has now lost back-to-back games for the first time since a six-game skid during Steve Sarkisian’s first season in 2021, following a 27-24 loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry in Week 7. The Longhorns are in danger of falling out of the Top 25, and the loss leaves their playoff hopes, and potentially their bowl standing, in jeopardy. Over his last three SEC games, Manning is completing 67.1% of his passes but averaging just 211.3 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Florida improved to 5-2 despite playing without its starting quarterback and top wide receiver.
What’s Next
Texas hosts Ole Miss next Saturday night looking to avoid a three-game losing streak.
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