The Texas offense had its chance to clean things up against a Florida defense that came into Saturday as one of the conference’s worst. Instead, the Longhorns turned in a mess of a performance in a 27-24 loss, finishing with 272 total yards and only 17 offensive points against a unit that had already given up 38 to South Carolina and 45 to Missouri.
Texas came out with some rhythm, but it didn’t last. After piling up 124 yards in the first quarter, the Longhorns managed only 52 in the second, eight in the third, and 88 in the fourth, with 62 of those coming on one play.
Florida controlled the ball the rest of the way, owning nearly a 14-minute advantage in time of possession in the second half. Texas ran just 19 plays in the final 30 minutes.
The collapse was self-inflicted, too. Texas opened the second half with back-to-back three-and-outs and then failed on a fourth-down try at its own 45-yard line. Florida turned that mistake into a six-play touchdown drive that put the game out of reach.
Arch Manning finished 14-of-20 for 173 yards and a touchdown, but the numbers only tell part of the story. Texas looked organized early on its second drive, moving the chains on three straight passes for 40 yards.
Manning then hit Jermaine Bishop on a no-huddle shotgun snap for seven yards, and everything unraveled from there. He missed Nick Townsend on the next play, Hollywood Smothers was dropped for a loss on third-and-3, and a promising series settled for a field goal - the last points Texas would score until the fourth quarter.
Before that incompletion, Manning had been 7-of-7 for 53 yards at 7.6 yards per attempt. From that point on, he went 7-of-13 for 120 yards and 9.3 yards per attempt.
Take away the 62-yard strike to Emmett Mosley, and that figure falls to 4.8. Manning was also sacked five times, and none of those came in the first quarter.
The run game didn’t offer much relief. Texas finished with 99 rushing yards, but the backfield tandem of Smothers and Raleek Brown never really took control.
The two combined for fewer than 100 yards, and 56 of those came on two carries. Brown’s 32-yard touchdown provided a brief jolt, but the ground attack was largely toothless when the game tightened up.
In the second half, Smothers and Brown combined for four carries and minus-1 yard. Texas got stuffed on third down on its first possession after Florida had already chewed up nearly seven minutes, then Brown was dropped for a two-yard loss on the next drive. Neither back touched the ball again until the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
There’s also the bigger picture. Over two games against Florida, Texas has produced only 151 rushing yards at 2.7 yards per carry, and those losses fit into a broader trend under Sarkisian.
The Longhorns’ yards per carry have fallen every year of his tenure, dropping from 5.23 in his first season to 3.62 at the halfway point of year six. It raises a fair question about how much of the early success belonged to the scheme and how much came from the talent of Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, and Jonathon Brooks.
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Texas Saw Promise In This Test But One Problem Stood Out
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What stood out most, though, was the gap in the details that often decide high-level games. UConn got 27 points from junior forward Sarah Strong and consistently looked sharper on both ends, with the Huskies separating themselves through defense and shooting. For Texas, the encouraging individual performances were easy to see, but the bigger takeaway was clear: there is work to do before the Longhorns can match the standard set by an opponent like this. [Read more 🡒]
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His remarks landed because Texas has spent the Steve Sarkisian era trying to build toward true championship contention, and culture is often the line between getting close and getting there. Robinsons concern was not just about the past. It was about whether the habits and priorities around the program have been strong enough to support the kind of standard Texas is chasing now. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Suddenly Puts Texas' Quarterback Plan Under Pressure
Arch Mannings future has become one of the most closely watched questions around Texas, and not just because of the expectations that followed him to Austin. After a rough stretch and visible regression under Steve Sarkisian, the conversation around Manning has shifted from immediate promise to long-term fit, with analysts still viewing him as a possible first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
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 🡒]