AUSTIN, Texas — Florida erased a 14-point deficit Saturday afternoon, scoring 24 consecutive points behind backup quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. to shock No. 7 Texas 27-24 at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium.
The defeat marked the second consecutive loss for head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns, who fell to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in Southeastern Conference play. According to ESPN, the collapse represents Texas’ largest blown lead at home against an unranked opponent since 1965.
Backup quarterback leads Gators’ turnaround
Entering Austin after consecutive blowout defeats to Missouri and South Carolina, Florida was forced to start Jones, a sophomore, due to a shoulder injury suffered by starter Aaron Philo. Jones stepped into his first career college start and completed passes for 155 yards and two scores, while adding 41 rushing yards, The Sporting News reported.
Texas took early command of the game. Running back Raleek Brown opened the scoring with a 32-yard touchdown run, and the Longhorns later extended their advantage when Ryan Niblett returned a Gators punt more than 60 yards for a touchdown. That return put Texas ahead 17-3 late in the second quarter.
From that moment, the contest swung decisively in Florida’s favor. Jones converted a fourth-and-12 with a 17-yard strike before connecting with tight end Lacota Dippre on a seven-yard touchdown pass with 18 seconds remaining in the half. The Gators carried that momentum through the break, opening the third quarter with an eight-minute, 15-play drive that concluded with another scoring reception by Dippre to level the score at 17-17.
Florida kicker Patrick Durkin subsequently provided the Gators with a 20-17 advantage on a 28-yard field goal, and running back Jadan Baugh extended the lead with an 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Baugh paced Florida’s ground attack with 91 yards on 25 carries, NBC Sports reported.
Late turnover seals Longhorns’ defeat
Texas quarterback Arch Manning endured a difficult afternoon against Florida’s defense, getting sacked five times and struggling to sustain drives throughout the second half. Manning offered a flash of late brilliance by completing a 62-yard pass to Emmett Mosley V, setting up a nine-yard touchdown throw to Cam Coleman that pulled Texas within 27-24 with just over two minutes remaining.
After the Texas defense forced a quick Florida punt, the Longhorns regained possession with 2:27 left on the clock. On the opening play of the drive, blitzing Florida defender Myles Graham strip-sacked Manning, jarring the football loose. The Gators secured the fumble recovery and ran out the clock to finish the victory.
Compounding the Longhorns’ frustration, standout edge rusher Colin Simmons sustained a lower-leg injury during the fourth quarter and was carted from the sideline. Simmons, who entered the contest leading the country in sacks, had recorded his 10th sack of the season earlier in the game.
“We played about as awful as we could in the first quarter, and we kept fighting,” Florida head coach Jon Sumrall told ABC after the contest. “Our team grew today without the win. Just grew because we fought.”
Looking ahead
Following the loss, Sarkisian told reporters he plans to “evaluate everything” across the Texas offense during the coming week, specifically acknowledging that both play-calling and Manning’s role will be examined. Texas will look to halt its two-game skid when it hosts No. 9 Ole Miss next Saturday. Florida enters an open date before preparing to play top-ranked Georgia.
