The Texas Longhorns defense got absolutely torched in their 27-24 upset loss to the Florida Gators, allowing Florida to pile up 170 yards and 17 points during a soul-crushing 21:51 of possession in the second half. You wanna know why? Nineteen. That’s how many tackles the Horns defense missed in a game where they absolutely needed to wrap up. It flat out crushed them and, honestly, it’s the most disappointing thing from Saturday’s game.
Defense Says Missed Tackles Weren’t Florida’s Good Play, It Was Texas’s Bad Play
Texas fifth-year defensive tackle Hero Kanu didn’t mince words after the game, calling those 19 missed tackles the absolute worst part of the defensive effort. He said it wasn’t even the Gators playing lights out, it was Texas just messing up their leverage, leaving their feet, and not driving through tackles. That’s a brutal self-assessment, but probably accurate when you look at the numbers. Pro Football Focus reported the Gators gained 134 of their 173 rushing yards after contact, which is a wild 77.5 percent. And on the receiving end? They picked up 94 of their 155 receiving yards after the catch, a whopping 60.6 percent. Think about that for a second. Florida was breaking tackles and making plays *after* contact like it was nothing. Kanu said straight up, “We can’t allow it… we’ve just got to fix those.” The good news? The team knows it. They were out there Monday after practice, putting in an extra 10 to 15 minutes on a tackling circuit, trying to get it right before they face No. 7 Ole Miss this Saturday. Kanu is confident, saying, “We know what we’ve got to get better at, and it’s going to be fixed.” Let’s hope he’s right.
The Plays That Broke Texas’s Back Before Halftime and Beyond
The tackling issues were glaring, and they started causing real damage on Florida’s touchdown drive right before halftime. On the very first play, a jet sweep to wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. got outside the defense. Senior cornerback Bo Mascoe did a solid job beating his blocker, but he just could not get that speedy Singleton to the ground near the line of scrimmage, turning what could have been a minimal gain into an eight-yard chunk. Later in the drive, Florida converted a massive 4th and 12 with a 17-yard reception by wide receiver Dallas Wilson. Then, Gators quarterback Tramell Jones pulled out the dagger, breaking a tackle attempt by senior linebacker Rasheem Biles in the backfield AND another one by junior safety Kobe Black downfield. He scrambled for 14 yards to the Texas 5-yard line, setting up a seven-yard touchdown pass two plays later. That’s two crucial missed tackles on one play, letting Jones basically walk in a score. It’s unacceptable.
Out of halftime, Florida kept the pressure on with a brutal 15-play, 69-yard drive that ate up 8:03 off the clock. This drive really started to wear down the Texas defense. More missed tackles piled up, but there was also a critical missed call where Kanu was tackled by a Gators offensive lineman while trying to sack Jones. Even then, Jones scrambled for four yards, gaining several *after* contact because junior edge Colin Simmons tried to force a fumble instead of just wrapping him up. Then on 3rd and 3, Florida threw a screen pass to wide receiver Bailey Stockton. Sophomore cornerback Graceson Littleton’s fundamentals failed him, needing to run through Stockton’s outside hip to make the play, but he didn’t. Florida got a fresh set of downs, and the Longhorns just kept bleeding yards.
Next Up: Can Texas Clean It Up Against No. 7 Ole Miss?
Texas is clearly focusing on fixing these tackling woes, and they’ve got to. They host No. 7 Ole Miss this Saturday, and if they miss 19 tackles against that squad, it’s going to be an even rougher day in Austin. The defense knows what’s wrong, and they’ve put in the extra work. Now we’ve just got to see if that work pays off when it counts. Are they going to prove Kanu right and actually fix it, or will the tackling circuit just be another practice in futility?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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