Florida’s 27-24 upset of No. 7 Texas on Saturday did more than hand the Longhorns another painful SEC loss. It put Steve Sarkisian’s team in a spot where the College Football Playoff conversation is suddenly a lot less comfortable, and Arch Manning’s performance will only sharpen that debate.
Texas had this one in hand early, then let it slip away. A 32-yard touchdown run from Raleek Brown and Ryan Niblett’s 64-yard punt return score helped build a 17-3 first-half lead, but Florida kept hanging around and then took control when it mattered most.
Backup quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. changed the game for the Gators. He threw a pair of touchdown passes to Lacota Dippre, and Patrick Durkin’s 28-yard field goal pushed Florida in front 20-17 with 10:40 left in the fourth quarter. At that point, Manning had completed 10 of 14 passes for 77 yards, and Texas still had not shown much downfield.
Florida added another touchdown after Manning was stuffed on a fourth-and-2 quarterback draw by defensive tackle Brendan Bett. Texas answered with a touchdown drive of its own, setting up one last chance to steal the game back.
Instead, Manning coughed it up. Sacked by Myles Graham, he lost a fumble with 1:58 to play, and Kanye Clark recovered.
Jones then put the game away with a nine-yard scramble on third-and-7. He finished 22 of 35 for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
For Manning, it was another rough day in a stretch that has raised plenty of questions. He finished 14 of 20 for 173 yards, and the second half brought more evidence that Texas’ protection and passing game are not finding enough answers. The Longhorns managed just one completion of more than 20 yards, a 62-yard throw to Emmett Mosley V that set up a fourth-quarter touchdown.
The bigger picture isn’t much kinder. Manning is 67.1% in Texas’ last three SEC games, but he has averaged 211.3 passing yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in those contests. The Longhorns have converted only 9 of 40 third downs, good for 22.5%, over that same stretch.
That matters because the road ahead is still unforgiving. Texas has four ranked conference opponents left, beginning with No.
9 Ole Miss next Saturday. The Longhorns can still reach 10 wins, but the margin for error is basically gone.
There is at least one result still working in Texas’ favor: the 24-23 win over Ohio State on Sept. 12.
Beyond that, another loss would leave Sarkisian reaching for the same 9-3 case the Longhorns tried to sell last year for the College Football Playoff. It did not work then, and this year may not be any different.
In Other News...
Kewan Lacy Suddenly Carries Big Stakes For Ole Miss Against Missouri
Kewan Lacys return to availability gives Ole Miss a little more weight in a matchup that already carried plenty of meaning for him. The running back transferred from Missouri and is now back in the conversation for the Rebels after being cleared off the injury report, a welcome development after a season interrupted by injuries. He was back in the starting role in Ole Miss last game and finished it with a touchdown, a reminder that when he is on the field, he can still tilt the offense in a useful way.
Missouri will get its own familiar face across the line of scrimmage in running back Jamal Roberts, a former teammate who spoke about the competitive edge between the two. That adds another layer to a game that already had plenty of personal stakes attached to it, with Lacy set to face the program he left and Ole Miss hoping his health can finally translate into a steadier role. Even before the opening kick, this one feels like more than just another SEC meeting. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Suddenly Faces A Dangerous SEC Test In Week 7
Week 6 was a reminder that the SEC race can shift fast, with six top-25 teams going down and No. 1 Texas among the biggest surprises after losing to Oklahoma. The ripple effect reached beyond the scoreboard, too, as the leagues contenders continue to juggle injuries and uneven stretches while trying to keep pace in a crowded conference picture. For teams like Ole Miss, the margin for error keeps shrinking every week.
Kentucky now draws a dangerous test at just the wrong time, with the Wildcats having to sort through the same chaos that has already swallowed ranked programs like LSU and Florida. Around the conference, from Missouri to Mississippi State and even teams outside the SEC such as UCLA, Wisconsin, SMU and Virginia, the recent results have made one thing clear: nothing is safe in October, and every matchup can turn quickly if a team is not sharp from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Faces Its Biggest Road Test Since The Tigers Took Off
College GameDay is leaning into the idea that Saturday in Oxford could come down to the final possession, and Rece Davis is now the latest national voice to land on Ole Miss in a game that has plenty of attention around the SEC. After ESPN analysts Dan Wetzel and Pete Thamel went with Missouri, Davis flipped his pick and framed it as a tight, back-and-forth matchup with the Rebels squeezing out a narrow win.
For Ole Miss, the appeal is obvious: the Rebels get a chance to prove their fast start is more than a hot streak, and Trinidad Chambliss is set to be a key part of that conversation. Missouri has its own reasons to believe, with Austin Simmons in the spotlight and both teams dealing with injury concerns that could shape how aggressive each side can be. It has the feel of a true measuring-stick game, the kind that can say plenty about where both programs really stand, even before the final score tells the full story. [Read more 🡒]