Florida walked into Austin carrying the weight of two straight losses and left with one of the biggest wins of its season. The Gators erased a double-digit second-quarter deficit, shut down Arch Manning late, and stunned No. 7 Texas 27-24 on Saturday.
Texas had grabbed control early and looked ready to get back on track after its Red River Rivalry loss to Oklahoma. Ryan Niblett’s 63-yard punt return pushed the Longhorns to a 17-3 lead just three and a half minutes into the second quarter, and Florida was staring at the possibility of a third consecutive defeat.
Instead, the game flipped fast.
With Aaron Philo out injured, Trammell Jones Jr. stepped into his first career start and gave Florida the response it needed. He led a nine-play, 49-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Lacota Dipree and cut the Texas lead to 17-10 with 18 seconds left before halftime. From there, Florida kept building momentum.
Jones found Dippre again midway through the third quarter to tie the game 17-17, then Patrick Durkin knocked through a 28-yard field goal with 10:40 left in the fourth to put the Gators in front 20-17. Florida then added to that cushion when Jadan Baugh punched in an 11-yard touchdown run to make it 27-17.
Texas did briefly keep itself alive. The Longhorns answered with a quick touchdown and then got a stop to force a three-and-out. But with just over two minutes left and Texas trailing 27-24, Manning coughed up the ball on Florida’s fifth sack of the day, and the Gators recovered to end it.
Jones finished 22 of 35 for 155 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing 10 times for 41 yards. Baugh had 91 yards on 25 carries after leaving briefly with an injury and returning. Dipree was Jones’ favorite target, scoring twice as Florida completed the comeback.
Manning went 14 of 20 for 173 yards for Texas, which managed only 272 total yards and finished just 2 of 10 on third down.
In Other News...
Florida Fans May See That 2024 Decommitment Wave Very Differently
Floridas 2024 recruiting cycle has taken on a different look a year later, especially when it comes to the group of prospects who backed away from their pledges. Xavier Filsaime is one of the more notable examples, with the former Gators commit now at Texas and dealing with an injury-plagued season that has kept him from making the kind of impact many expected when he was being recruited.
He is hardly alone in that regard. A review of seven top recruits from Floridas 2024 class who decommitted shows a mixed return at their new schools, with limited playing time, multiple transfers in some cases and several players still searching for a steady role. For Florida fans, the early frustration of losing those names may look a little different now, because the path away from Gainesville has not exactly produced a clean win for everyone involved. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Texas Game Suddenly Rests On One Huge QB Decision
Aaron Philos shoulder issue has turned Floridas trip to Texas into a late-week waiting game, with the Gators listing their quarterback as a gametime decision. If Philo is unable to go, Tramell Jones would be in line for his first career start, a major shift in the spotlight for a team trying to sort out its offense on short notice.
The uncertainty does not stop at quarterback. Vernell Brown III and Bailey Stockton are also listed as gametime decisions, while backup running back Duke Clark will not play, leaving Florida to piece together its depth chart as kickoff approaches. For a Gators team heading into a difficult matchup, the final availability report could end up shaping far more than just one position. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Just Proved It Can Still Take Down SEC Heavyweights
Floridas 27-24 win at Texas did more than just hand the Longhorns another loss, it reminded the SEC that the Gators still have the kind of upset punch that can change the conversation in a hurry. With backup quarterback Tramell Jones throwing two touchdown passes, Florida knocked off a No. 1-ranked team on the road and added a signature result to a season that now looks a lot more dangerous than it did a week ago.
The bigger takeaway for Florida is what the win says about its place in the league race. The Gators had not beaten two top-10 teams in the same season since 2012, and doing it in this setting gives the program a real benchmark under the lights. Texas, meanwhile, saw Arch Manning finish 14 of 20 for 173 yards and a touchdown, but the more telling number was the one attached to the Longhorns recent slide - two straight losses after opening the streak at No. 1. [Read more 🡒]