the gators take over austin

Following back-to-back blowout losses to Missouri and South Carolina, Jon Sumrall and the Florida Gators responded with a major upset. 

Florida beat No. 7 Texas 27-24 in Austin, overcoming a 17-3 deficit and handing the Longhorns their second straight loss of the season and their second straight loss against the Gators. Arch Manning struggled, Colin Simmons got hurt, and the Longhorns emerged from the game in ultimate panic mode.

Young sophomore Quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. stepped in for the injured Aaron Philo and delivered in his first career start. He threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns, with both scores going to tight end Lacota Dippre. 

Jones did not put up huge numbers, but he protected the ball and kept drives alive. 

Additionally, Jones ran for two late clutch first downs on the ground and showed the ability to scramble for both yards and to extend the play consistently all game. Jones showed loads more promise and potential than Aaron Philo ever did and undoubtedly earned the starting job.

Star Gators RB Jadan Baugh added 91 rushing yards on 25 carries, including an 11-yard touchdown that put Florida ahead 27-17 with 6:22 remaining. Baugh started the season as a heisman candidate before a rough two weeks. The Gators star got back on track against the Longhorns with an elite performance.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning had another disappointing game, throwing for 173 yards and a touchdown. Florida’s defense sacked him five times and held the Longhorns to only 272 total yards. 

While the offensive line did not play greatly, Manning consistently held onto the ball too long and missed wide open receivers all game.

Texas’s offense also converted just two of its 10 third-down attempts, struggling to stay on the field after a strong start and consistently letting drives stall out. The Gators controlled possession for 38:11, keeping Manning and the Texas offense on the sideline for much of the game.

The turning point came late in the first half, when Jones found Dallas Wilson for 17 yards on fourth-and-12. That kept the drive alive and led to a touchdown pass to Dippre with 18 seconds remaining before halftime. 

Florida then opened the second half with a 69-yard touchdown drive that took more than eight minutes off the clock and wore down the Longhorns' defense, taking the crowd out of the game entirely to start the second half. 

The Gators scored 24 unanswered points before Texas finally responded with a touchdown pass to Cam Coleman in the 4th quarter, which would end up being the Longhorns' final score of the day.

Texas still had a chance to win, getting the ball back down three with 2:32 remaining. However, Myles Graham stripped Manning on a sack, and Kanye Clark recovered with 1:58 left. After giving up 83 combined points in their previous two games, the Gators defense gave their offense enough opportunities to complete the comeback with an elite performance. 

DL LJ Mccray and LB Myles Graham led the way for the Gators defense with a combined three sacks on Manning.

This win gives Florida some confidence heading into its bye week before facing Georgia. 

The Gators improved to 5-2, and Tramell Jones gave Sumrall a reason to consider keeping him at quarterback even when Philo returns. 

Texas falls to 4-2 with Ole Miss coming next and now finds itself in must-win matchups for the rest of the year. 

I look forward to seeing whether Florida can carry this performance into the highly anticipated Georgia game, while Texas needs to find answers quickly to keep its season from slipping away

Texas saw their season take a turn for the worse on Saturday, while Florida was able to bounce back massively. Stay tuned to see how these teams shake up the rest of the SEC….