Florida’s next test arrives fast, and it comes with plenty of weight on both sidelines.
After two straight Southeastern Conference losses, the Gators head into a brutal stretch of the schedule with No. 7 Texas waiting on Saturday. It’s a matchup that comes at a tricky moment for UF, which opened the year with real buzz before the season tilted against Missouri and South Carolina.
This one also brings a familiar opponent back into the picture. Since Texas joined the SEC, the teams have met only twice this century and split those games. Florida’s best moment in that 2025 run came in a 29-21 win over the Longhorns at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, a bounce-back from a 49-17 loss in 2024.
Texas enters with the kind of roster that can punish mistakes quickly. The Longhorns were picked No. 2 in the SEC preseason poll and returned several key pieces from a team that finished 9-3 last season. At the center of it all is quarterback Arch Manning.
Manning has been up and down as Texas’ starter, but the danger is obvious. He’s completed 92 of 146 passes for 1,122 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions, good for a 65.5 quarterback rating. He’s also a real threat with his legs, something Florida coach Jon Sumrall was quick to point out.
“The thing that's unique about Arch, he's a Manning, which means he's a quarterback that throws the football and understands the game at a high level, but I think the thing that people forget … he's an unbelievable runner,” Florida head coach Jon Sumrall said.
Manning has 102 rushing yards on 39 carries this season, and he’ll have a receiver group behind him that can stretch Florida’s secondary, which was exposed against South Carolina.
But the most demanding part of the assignment may be Texas’ defense. The Longhorns rank No. 13 nationally and bring one of the better run-stopping groups Florida has seen all year. Texas sits No. 20 in the FBS against the run, which makes this a major proving ground for Jadan Baugh.
Baugh has been quiet the last two weeks after opening the year with a run of dominance. He averaged 150 rushing yards over Florida’s first four games, then managed 13 against Missouri and 59 against South Carolina.
Texas presents another tough front, with Missouri ranking No. 8 in rushing defense and Georgia sitting No. 6.
The challenge does not stop there. Texas’ pass defense has been just as sharp and stands among the SEC’s best, which raises the pressure on Florida’s quarterback situation.
Aaron Philo is questionable with a shoulder injury, and backup Tramell Jones Jr. could be in line for his first career college start. Either way, the Gators’ passing game is walking into its toughest matchup yet.
Red-zone execution will be another key issue. Texas’ red zone defense ranks No. 29 in the nation, the best mark Florida has faced so far. That matters because the Gators have already had trouble finishing drives over their last two games.
On the edge, Colin Simmons has been the engine for a defense that can wreck a game plan in a hurry. He leads the FBS with nine solo sacks and 9.5 total sacks through five games, and he also tops the nation in tackles for loss with 12 for 87 yards. He leads the SEC in forced fumbles at 0.40 per game.
“He's ‘wow’ good,” Sumrall said Monday. “I really started to watch the tape last night, I'm like, ‘all right, I'm just gonna turn this off.
I don't even want to watch this guy anymore right now.’ So he's a really good player, their front is physical, they're sound on defense.”
Texas has its own weak spot, though. The Longhorns have not run the ball well, and their rushing offense ranks fifth-worst in the SEC. Junior Hollywood Smothers and senior Raleek Brown lead that ground game, and Florida will be looking to keep that part of the Texas attack bottled up after holding South Carolina in check on the ground despite the Gamecocks entering the game with the SEC’s top rushing offense.
Steve Sarkisian leads Texas, and his run there has made him one of the most prominent coaches in college football. In six seasons, he’s taken the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff twice in the last three years.
The Longhorns have had their share of swings this season, too. They grabbed national attention with a win over then-No.
1 Ohio State, erasing a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter. But Saturday brought a 27-24 loss to rival Oklahoma, a defeat that knocked Texas from the No. 1 spot in the country.
Now both teams arrive at Week 7 with something to prove.
“The human psyche part of, what are you dealing with, what's the other side dealing with, it's a real part of the game,” Sumrall said. “Anytime you're coming off of a defeat, you have a bad taste in your mouth, and that's all of us … You have to recognize what the psyche of your football team is, and then also what's the other side got going on? And they lost a tough one.”
Florida and Texas kick off Saturday at noon ET at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
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Golden has publicly criticized the ruling and the legal battles that followed, saying the class of 2022 was treated inconsistently. The decision now applies to the class of 2023 and beyond, which makes Aberdeen eligible under the newer interpretation, but it also leaves Florida and other programs watching how much more fallout the NCAAs rule change may still create. [Read more 🡒]
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Jadan Baugh Is Forcing A Bigger Draft Debate In Gainesville
Jadan Baugh has become one of the most important pieces in Floridas attack under Jon Sumrall, and his rise has started to carry real NFL weight. Through six games, the running back has piled up 673 yards and seven touchdowns, production that has helped fuel the Gators while also putting his name in the national draft conversation. Mel Kipers latest board reflects that momentum, with Baugh checking in at No. 14 overall and as the top running back available.
For Florida, the question is no longer just how much Baugh can do on Saturdays, but how that production translates when evaluators start weighing his physical traits and long-term value. His profile also lands in the middle of a changing college football economy, where NIL money can alter the calculus for talented running backs deciding whether to stay put or move on early. That makes Baugh more than a breakout story in Gainesville. It makes him a case study for what the position is worth now, and what comes next. [Read more 🡒]