Texas got hit hard on Saturday, and the biggest concern out of the Florida loss is the ankle injury to Colin Simmons.
The Longhorns’ standout pass rusher is expected to miss three to four weeks with a high ankle sprain, according to Longhorn insider Anwar Richardson. Simmons had an MRI on Monday, and the scan showed no structural damage, which is the best possible news for Steve Sarkisian and his staff as they try to map out the next stretch of the season.
Simmons left the Florida game early in the fourth quarter after going down with the injury. Texas was in the middle of a tight SEC battle at the time, and the Gators eventually finished off a 27-24 win. The defeat marked Texas’ second straight loss this season.
The injury matters because Simmons has been the engine of Texas’ pass rush. Through six games, he leads the nation with 10.5 sacks, a number that has already pushed him up NFL draft boards. He’s also firmly in the conversation as a player who could go No. 1 overall next April.
His impact goes beyond the stat sheet. Simmons’ pressure off the edge has helped Texas defend more aggressively, since quarterbacks are forced to hurry throws and can’t sit back and wait for receivers to uncover.
Texas also has another injury situation to monitor. Hollywood Smothers is dealing with an undisclosed injury, and his availability for Saturday’s matchup against Ole Miss is up in the air. That’s another issue for a Longhorns team that needs as many healthy pieces as possible in SEC play.
The timing is rough. Texas faces ranked opponents in three of its next four games, starting with No.
7 Ole Miss on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
In Other News...
Tramell Jones Jr. Just Gave Florida A Reason To Believe
A freshman making his first career start is rarely asked to steady a program against a top-10 opponent, but Tramell Jones Jr. walked into that kind of assignment and gave Florida exactly the kind of calm it needed. The Gators rallied from a 17-3 deficit to beat seventh-ranked Texas 27-24, and Jones played a central role in getting them back into it, completing 22 of 35 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
For Florida, the win was about more than surviving an early hole. It was about seeing a young quarterback handle pressure, keep the offense moving and give the Gators a chance when the game tightened late. The defense finished the job with a late fumble by Texas quarterback Arch Manning, but the bigger takeaway in Gainesville is hard to miss: there is at least a reason to believe Florida has found something it can build on. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Suddenly Has A Bigger Opportunity Than Anyone Expected
Floridas win over Texas came at exactly the right time, giving Billy Napiers team a needed jolt after a season that has already swung from a 4-0 start to back-to-back losses. The bigger picture around college football has been just as unpredictable, with results across several conferences reshuffling expectations almost every week, and Florida has managed to keep itself in the conversation despite the early turbulence.
With the bye week now in hand, the Gators are in a better spot than many projected before the season, both in the SEC race and in the overall record chase. The Texas victory did more than settle things down for a day, too, because it left Floridas preseason goals still within reach as the schedule moves into its next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Turned The Big 12 Race Into Something Much Bigger
A wild Saturday across college football sent shockwaves through the AP poll, and BYU was one of the biggest beneficiaries after upsetting Notre Dame to climb to No. 2. The chaos was unprecedented, with five of the top seven teams losing on the same day for the first time in AP history, and Miami surged to No. 1 after its double-overtime win against Florida State.
For Florida fans, the broader picture is just as striking because the Gators were part of a day that helped redraw the national conversation in a hurry. Ohio State held off Indiana, Tennessee beat Alabama, Florida knocked off Texas, and Auburn beat Georgia, turning what could have been a routine Saturday into a rankings reset that left the Big 12 race and the rest of the playoff picture looking far more volatile than before. [Read more 🡒]