The story in Austin was supposed to be Texas getting itself right.
Instead, Florida flipped the night on its head.
Down 17-3 in the second quarter, the Gators looked shaky, and sophomore quarterback Tramell Jones was having a rough time in his first career start on the road. Texas, even with a muted outing from Arch Manning, seemed set to regroup after the Red River mess and leave with a much-needed win.
But Florida kept hanging around long enough to change the temperature in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
A late second-quarter touchdown gave Jones and the Gators a pulse, then Florida came out and tied the game on its first possession of the second half. From there, the Texas offense stalled and the Gators started to find answers.
Jadan Baugh was a big part of that swing. After a few weeks that hadn’t gone his way, the running back came through with key carries in the fourth quarter to ease the burden on Jones. Florida finally seized control when Baugh scored with a little more than six minutes left, giving the Gators 24 unanswered points and a 10-point cushion.
Texas wasn’t done, though. Manning again showed his ability to flip the script when his team is trailing at home in the fourth quarter. He uncorked a huge throw on fourth-and-7 to keep the Longhorns alive, then hit a touchdown pass to trim the deficit to three.
Momentum looked like it had swung completely back to Texas after a three-and-out, but disaster struck when Manning was sacked and fumbled. Florida recovered and had the opening it needed.
Jones finished the job with a smart third-down run for a first down after Texas had burned through all of its timeouts, and the Gators went into victory formation for a 27-24 road win.
For Texas, the loss lands hard. The Longhorns have now dropped back-to-back games to unranked opponents, making them the first AP No. 1 to do that in 2026. At 4-2, the margin for error is suddenly razor-thin if Texas wants to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation.
There’s also the concern around Colin Simmons, who left in the fourth quarter with an apparent leg injury and did not return after heading to the locker room on a cart. Simmons leads the nation with 10.5 sacks, and without him the Texas pass rush loses a major edge.
That puts even more pressure on Manning and the offense. Saturday was another uneven performance from the quarterback: jaw-dropping throws mixed with costly mistakes, including the fumble that ended Texas’ comeback hopes.
For Steve Sarkisian, the result adds to a season that has already started drifting in the wrong direction. Texas has clearly raised its floor during his tenure, but with the investment around the program, the standard is still championships - and that hasn’t happened yet.
Florida leaves Austin with something it badly needed. After back-to-back losses pushed the Gators out of the polls and Aaron Philo’s injury made the situation look even worse, Jon Sumrall’s team is back at 5-2 and in the mix for a second-half run in the SEC.
The Gators’ defense, which came into the game ranked worst in the SEC, made enough plays to force a pair of turnovers and support their young quarterback. And Jones’ showing gives Florida a little more confidence moving forward, whether he’s the one under center or Philo returns.
Maybe more important, the performance raised a real question about the future: if Jones keeps playing like this, Florida may have found more than a backup plan.
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Arch Manning Suddenly Puts Texas' Quarterback Plan Under Pressure
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For Texas, that uncertainty matters because the programs quarterback plan suddenly feels a little less settled than it did a year ago. Manning could stay and try to grow inside the current setup, stay and do it under a revamped staff, or look elsewhere if he decides another program offers a better path for his development and draft stock. For now, the only clear thing is that his next move will shape more than just his own career. [Read more 🡒]