Florida at texas game preview

After a tough loss to Oklahoma, the Texas Longhorns return home looking to bounce back against the Florida Gators. Florida enters on a two-game losing streak following embarrassing losses to Missouri and South Carolina, while Texas looks to respond after losing its No. 1 ranking. Both Steve Sarkisian and Jon Sumrall need their teams to get back on track before their schedules get tougher.

Florida’s best chance offensively starts with Jadan Baugh. The junior running back has rushed for 672 yards and 12 touchdowns, but Missouri and South Carolina held him to just 72 combined rushing yards.

Texas presents another difficult matchup, although Florida has a better chance attacking on the ground than consistently throwing against this secondary. Baugh needs to get going early and keep the Gators out of obvious passing situations.

Texas will likely stack the box and force Florida to win through the air. Aaron Philo is dealing with a shoulder injury, which is leading to Tramell Jones Jr. making his first college start. Dallas Wilson will be an important target, while Vernell Brown III and Bailey Stockton are also dealing with uncertain availability.

Whoever starts at quarterback will need to get the ball out quickly with Colin Simmons coming off the edge. Simmons leads the country with 9.5 sacks and can take over this game if Florida falls behind the chains.

Texas will be led by Arch Manning, who threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns against Oklahoma but also had two costly interceptions. Manning has receiving threats in Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman, giving Sarkisian options to spread the field.

Florida cannot afford to give those receivers free releases and expect Manning to keep missing opportunities. This is a chance for Texas to get its passing game going against a secondary that has struggled in conference play.

The Longhorns still need more from Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown on the ground. Texas has struggled to create explosive runs, and relying on Manning to carry every drive has led to too many stalled possessions.

Florida linebacker Myles Graham will need to lead a better tackling effort and force Texas into long third downs. If Smothers and Brown can consistently pick up yards early in drives, Manning should have more opportunities to find Wingo and Coleman downfield.

Although Florida has a path to keeping this close through Baugh, I expect Texas to make enough plays offensively to pull away.

The Gators have allowed too many points recently, and their uncertainty at quarterback makes it harder to trust them if this becomes a high-scoring game. Baugh should give Florida some life, but Simmons and the Texas defense can force the Gators into situations they want to avoid.

I got the Longhorns winning 31-24, giving Sarkisian and company a needed response after the Oklahoma loss.