Florida just stunned No. 7 Texas with a wild 27-24 road victory in Austin, handing the Longhorns their second-consecutive loss. This is absolutely brutal for a team that clawed its way to No. 1 early in the season, now finding themselves on the ropes with back-to-back defeats. How does a top-10 team fumble away not just a game, but potentially their whole season like this?
The Gators Rip Off 24 Unanswered Points, Shock Austin
Man, this game had everything! Texas jumped out to a 17-3 lead in the second quarter, and it looked like Florida was headed for a third straight loss under Jon Sumrall. Gators’ sophomore QB Tramell Jones was struggling in his first career start in hostile territory, and even with a pretty lackluster effort from Arch Manning, the Longhorns seemed poised to bounce back after their Red River disaster. But then, Florida got a late second-quarter touchdown, and suddenly, they had life. They roared back to tie things up on their very first drive of the second half, and you could practically feel the anxiety rising in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The Texas offense went completely cold, and Florida’s offense, led by star running back Jadan Baugh, found its rhythm. Baugh, who’d been a bit quiet the past few weeks, stepped up with some HUGE runs in the fourth quarter, taking the pressure off his young quarterback. The Gators then ripped off an incredible 24 unanswered points, taking a 10-point lead on a Baugh touchdown run with just over six minutes left.
Manning’s Late-Game Heroics End in Disaster
Just like he did against Ohio State earlier this year, Arch Manning actually started to find his groove while trailing in the fourth. He produced an absolutely unreal throw on fourth-and-7 to keep Texas’s hopes alive, then delivered a strike for a touchdown to cut the deficit to just three points. Texas’s defense held strong, forcing a three-and-out, and it really felt like the momentum had swung back their way. The crowd was going nuts, right? But then, disaster struck. Arch Manning fumbled the ball as he got sacked, giving Florida the ball back with a chance to run out the clock. Myles Graham forced that fumble, and Kanye Clark was there to recover it. Talk about a gut punch. Florida’s Tramell Jones then iced the game with a nifty third down run for a first down after Texas had burned all its timeouts, sending the Gators into victory formation for a massive 27-24 road win.
This loss means Texas is making some seriously unfortunate history, becoming the first AP No. 1 team in 2026 to lose back-to-back games to unranked opponents. It’s another massively disappointing season for Coach Steve Sarkisian, especially with those lofty expectations. Even with his massive contract, things are definitely starting to warm up for Sark in Austin. While Texas has improved their baseline under him, the expectation, given the program’s investment, is to compete for national championships, and that just isn’t happening. At 4-2, the Longhorns now have an extremely small margin for error if they want any shot at the College Football Playoff in the second half of the season. What a wild Saturday, and what a tough road ahead for Texas.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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