Tramell Jones Jr.’s first career start had all the pressure of a tough road night and none of the usual easing-in period. Florida needed every bit of it.
Jones threw two touchdown passes to Lacota Dippre, Jadan Baugh finished off the comeback with a fourth-quarter score, and the Gators stunned No. 7 Texas 27-24 on Saturday in Austin. The win snapped Texas’ momentum and handed the Longhorns their second straight loss.
Florida entered the game at 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the Southeastern Conference, a team that had climbed as high as No. 8 after opening 4-0 under first-year coach Jon Sumrall before suffering consecutive blowout losses. This one looked like the kind that can reset a season.
Jones was making the start in place of the injured Aaron Philo, and the early going wasn’t smooth. Florida fell behind 17-3 in the second quarter before Jones steadied the offense and pulled the Gators back into it with a patient, possession-by-possession response.
The first touchdown came just before halftime, when Jones hit Dippre to trim the deficit to 17-10 with 18 seconds left in the second quarter. The second came on a 15-play march that ate eight minutes of the third quarter, another sign Florida could control the game on its terms.
Then the Gators kept coming. Patrick Durkin’s 28-yard field goal gave Florida its first lead, and Baugh followed by breaking outside for an 11-yard touchdown to push the margin further. Texas responded quickly, as Arch Manning found Cam Coleman for a 9-yard touchdown after Manning escaped a sack on fourth down and connected with Emmett Mosley V for 62 yards to set up the score.
But Florida’s defense, which came in ranked last in the SEC, delivered in a big way after the opening two drives. The Gators held Texas under 300 yards, limited the Longhorns’ big-play receivers, and gave up only one first down on Texas’ first three drives of the second half while the offense kept building the comeback.
Manning and the Texas offense never found a steady rhythm. Florida sacked him five times, and the final one came from Myles Graham, whose pressure forced a fumble on Texas’ last possession.
Texas led 17-3 in the second quarter after Ryan Niblett returned a punt 63 yards for a touchdown, the third punt return score of his career. From there, though, the Longhorns’ afternoon unraveled.
Florida now heads to No. 1 Georgia on Oct.
- Texas will host No.
9 Mississippi on Oct. 24.
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 🡒]