Texas’ 27-24 loss to Florida on Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium did more than snap a 17-3 lead. It pushed the No. 7 Longhorns deeper into a two-game skid and left Steve Sarkisian’s program facing louder questions than ever.
For Texas, the biggest problem was the same one that has been hanging over the team all year: the offense simply never arrived. The Longhorns came out with two scoring drives that covered 135 yards and produced 10 points, but that was the high-water mark. From there, the unit stalled badly, failing to score on its next seven possessions and coughing up three three-and-outs along with two missed fourth-down chances.
The game turned into a familiar nightmare for Arch Manning. For the second straight week, a turnover from Manning helped close the door on Texas.
This one came against a Florida defense that had been giving up points in bunches - 83 in its previous two games, both losses - yet Texas still couldn’t build anything resembling a clean, consistent offensive plan. The Longhorns eventually found the end zone again only after a fourth-down gamble worked, and even that felt more like a rescue than a real answer.
Florida sophomore quarterback Tramell Jones was better than Manning in his first start, and Florida offensive coordinator Buster Falkner won his matchup with both Steve Sarkisian and Will Muschamp on Texas’ home field. Texas also didn’t get a difference-making showing from either of its expensive running backs. Meanwhile, Jadan Baugh, who had flirted with the transfer portal, took over in the second half and finished the decisive blow himself, scoring with less than seven minutes left to stretch Florida’s lead to 10 and make the result feel out of reach.
The Longhorns’ defense also couldn’t carry the load this time. A week after keeping Texas alive against Oklahoma, that group spent too much time on the field against Florida.
Falkner’s offense leaned on long, patient drives, including one sequence that kept Texas’ defense out there for more than 11 minutes in the third quarter. During that same 15-minute span, Texas’ offense managed only eight yards and never put points on the board.
What makes that stretch uglier is that Florida didn’t need a massive day from its skill players to win. Baugh ran for fewer than 100 yards.
No Gators receiver topped 45 yards. Jones was the one making the late plays, but the broader story was Texas wasting opportunity after opportunity and failing to string together more than a couple of coherent possessions.
That’s where the scrutiny now lands. Sarkisian came in with a reputation as an offensive mind and a quarterback developer, but right now the production doesn’t match the pitch. Manning was a highly touted recruit after a recruiting battle that centered on Sarkisian and AJ Milwee, yet neither the quarterback nor the coaches have delivered to the level expected.
Sarkisian said during the week that if the quarterback had a different name, then the criticism would be less, but the situation has clearly reached a point where the conversation is no longer about labels. It’s about results. Texas is two years removed from being one play away from a national championship game, and now the program looks alarmingly close to the kind of slide that ended Tom Herman’s run.
The offense has regressed. The quarterback play has not risen. And with the Longhorns now staring at the possibility of missing the playoffs for a second straight year, the pressure around the whole operation is only getting louder.
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Texas May Be Getting A Very Different Florida Offense Than Expected
Floridas quarterback situation is suddenly a major subplot for the Longhorns, with Aaron Philo trending toward sitting out the upcoming game because of a shoulder injury. If he cannot go, Texas would be preparing for a different look entirely, with sophomore Tramell Jones lined up to make his first career start in a game that already carries plenty of weight for both teams.
Jones was a four-star recruit and has flashed efficiency in limited action this season, enough to draw praise from head coach Jon Sumrall as a potential starting quarterback. For Texas, that means the film and the plan may need a late adjustment, because the offense coming to Austin could be shaped as much by inexperience as by the usual Florida personnel. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Suddenly Has A Colin Simmons Problem Fans Will Fear
Colin Simmons gave Texas everything it could want from its star edge rusher before the game turned sideways against Florida. He had already piled up eight tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack when he went down with a lower-body injury early in the fourth quarter, a sequence that immediately changed the feel of the Longhorns defense.
Simmons was taken off the field for further examination, and Texas felt the effect almost right away as Florida moved ahead on a field goal while he was out. For a defense built around his disruption, the bigger concern now is how much time the Longhorns may have to manage without the player who had been driving their pass rush all game. [Read more 🡒]
Texas May Have A Colin Simmons Problem They Can't Afford
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Simmons has been central to everything Texas wants to do up front, giving the Longhorns the kind of edge pressure that can change a game in a hurry. Any absence would put extra pressure on a defense that leans on him to disrupt opposing quarterbacks, and it adds another layer of urgency as Texas waits to learn more about the extent of the injury. [Read more 🡒]