Texas was sitting pretty with a 17-3 lead in the second quarter on Saturday, cruising after Ryan Niblett took a punt 63 yards to the house. But what went down in those final minutes before halftime? Oh man, it set the stage for one wild Florida comeback, flipping the script when everyone thought the Longhorns had it locked.
Texas Shoots Itself in the Foot, Badly
Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian made a bold call earlier in the drive, going for it on 4th and 1. They rolled out a 31 personnel look, three running backs and one tight end, but instead of letting senior quarterback Arch Manning replicate his earlier 8-yard scramble on 3rd and 1, they handed it off to senior running back Hollywood Smothers. And what happened? Smothers got absolutely blown up in the backfield. That play never had a chance. Sarkisian didn’t pull any punches after the game either, saying it was “not very good design. Not very good execution.” Seriously? Texas had a chance to extend their lead or pin Florida deep, and they blew it.
With 2:44 left on the clock, the Texas defense had one job: get to halftime without letting Florida dent that 17-3 lead. ESPN was even giving them a 96-percent win probability. It looked like they were going to do it too, after a Florida false-start penalty turned a 3rd and 6 into a 3rd and 11. Then senior safety Jelani McDonald dropped speedy Florida wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. for a measly one-yard gain on third down. Game, set, almost match, right? Wrong.
The Play That Changed Everything (Almost)
Instead of punting or trying a long field goal, Florida head coach Jon Sumrall went for it on 4th and 12, despite what everyone thought were super low odds. And then it happened. Tramell Jones, making his first collegiate start at quarterback, absolutely uncorked a dime. He found talented wide receiver Dallas Wilson who hauled in a insane 17-yard reception near the sideline, even with senior cornerback Bo Mascoe draped all over him. Mascoe even got his fingertips on the pass!
Sarkisian was fuming about it on Monday, pointing out some brutal fundamental breakdowns. “We don’t have proper pass rush lanes. We give him an opportunity to roll to his right, and then we don’t cover properly a bunch set, and we give up the 4th and 12,” he explained. But the worst part? Mascoe had a technique breakdown, trying to break up the pass with his outside arm instead of his inside arm. And after all that, he got up celebrating, thinking he made the play! No way, man, you just got torched.
That wasn’t the end of it either. Florida kept pushing. Jones busted out a 14-yard run up the middle after senior linebacker Rasheem Biles missed a tackle. That put the Gators right on the goal line. And Jones finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Lacota Dippre, with senior linebacker Justin Cryer getting totally beat in man coverage. That touchdown drive only bumped Florida’s win probability a little, about four percent, but the momentum swing? Huge. It totally set up a second half where the Gators just bled out that Longhorns defense.
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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