Texas was rolling to a comfortable home win, up 17-3 on Florida and leaning on what was supposed to be its strength: a defense that could close the door. Instead, the Longhorns let the game slip completely away.
After a fourth-down try went sideways, Texas gave up 24 unanswered points and watched Arch Manning and the offense stall again in a 27-24 loss. It was another brutal finish for a program that had already taken a 27-24 loss to Oklahoma last weekend, a result that knocked Texas from No. 1 to No. 7.
Now the punishment is coming again in the AP top 25. The Longhorns, once college football’s No. 1 team, are headed for another major fall after back-to-back losses to unranked opponents.
Texas has now become just the third team in the AP poll era since 1936 to lose consecutive games after entering the streak at No. 1. Pittsburgh in 1939 and Michigan State in 1961 were the only others before this run.
Manning finished 14 of 20 for 173 yards and a touchdown. But the numbers only tell part of the story. He did not throw an interception this time, unlike last week, yet the mistakes and off-target decisions piled up, and his late fumble ended any chance of a Texas recovery.
The third quarter has been a disaster zone for the Longhorns against Power Four opponents. Texas has scored just three points in that frame all season against those teams: none against Ohio State, none against Oklahoma, none against Florida, and 3 against Tennessee.
Florida, meanwhile, keeps swinging between extremes and just came up with its biggest win of the season. The Gators had been on a wild ride after beating No. 4 Ole Miss and then dropping two ugly games in which they allowed 83 combined points.
This time, Jon Sumrall’s team got the response it needed. Backup quarterback Tramell Jones delivered, going 22 of 35 with two touchdown passes in the upset.
The win gives Sumrall two top-10 victories in the past four weeks at Florida. Billy Napier had three such wins in four years.
It also marks Florida’s first season with two top-ten wins since 2012, and its highest-ranked true road win since beating No. 4 LSU in 2009.
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 Made A Recruiting Statement Fans Can't Ignore
Floridas recruiting momentum got another jolt when Jon Sumrall and his staff landed consensus 5-star wide receiver Easton Royal, flipping him from Texas to the Gators. It is the kind of commitment that changes the way a class looks and the way a program is viewed, especially when a headliner of that caliber joins a group already starting to draw national attention.
The move helped push Florida up to No. 4 in ESPNs team rankings and No. 2 in Rivals latest update, a sign that the Gators are building more than just buzz. Their 2027 class already features quarterback Davin Davidson and offensive tackle Maxwell Hiller, and Royals addition only sharpens the sense that this group could keep climbing if Florida keeps stacking wins on the trail. [Read more 🡒]