Florida just stormed into Austin and shocked No. 7 Texas, 27-24, in a wild one that saw true freshman Tramell Jones Jr. make his first career start at quarterback. This stunning upset on the Longhorns’ home field drags Florida back into the College Football Playoff picture and throws Texas’s postseason dreams into serious jeopardy. Coach Jon Sumrall’s first season had hit a rough patch with back-to-back double-digit losses, but knocking off a top-10 team as a 10.5-point underdog puts the Gators ahead of schedule again, big time.
Jones Rises to the Occasion, Gators Fight Back
Man, talk about a debut under pressure! Jones stepped in for the injured Aaron Philo, and while he looked like a first-time starter for much of the first half, the kid definitely found his rhythm. Texas had jumped out to a 10-0 lead against what the SEC ranked as its last-place defense. But with Florida trailing 17-3 late in the first half, Jones delivered a crucial 17-yard completion to Dallas Wilson on fourth-and-12 from the Texas 36. That play saved the day and you could feel his confidence building from there. A 14-yard run on the very next play, followed by a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Lacota Dippre two snaps later, slashed the Longhorns’ lead to 17-10 at halftime.
After getting the kickoff to open the second half, Jones was on fire. He marched the Gators 69 yards down the field to tie the game at 17-17. On that 15-play drive, he was a perfect 5 of 5 on third down conversions, capping it off with an 8-yard touchdown to Dippre, even with Texas nose tackle Hero Kanu right in his face. Jones finished the game 22 of 35 for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns, becoming the first Florida signal-caller to grab his first road win since Jesse Palmer way back in 1997. This 19-year-old just put the entire league on notice.
Manning’s Costly Mistakes Haunt the Longhorns
For Texas, this one is going to sting, and it’s looking like a familiar problem for their star quarterback, Arch Manning. Manning had a chance to be the hero, just like he was earlier in the season against Ohio State. With Florida up 27-17 after an 11-yard touchdown run by Jadan Baugh, Manning launched a monster 62-yard completion to freshman Emmett Mosley V on fourth-and-6, then followed it up with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Cam Coleman with 4:21 left on the clock. You’re thinking, “Okay, here we go, another comeback!”
But after a Gators’ three-and-out, disaster struck for Manning. Linebacker Myles Graham absolutely flattened him, forcing a fumble that nickelback Kanye Clark recovered at the Texas 39 with 1:58 remaining. Game over. This wasn’t Manning’s first late-game meltdown either, coming just a week after he threw two fourth-quarter interceptions in a 27-24 loss to unranked rival Oklahoma. Manning finished 14 of 20 for 173 yards and 1 touchdown, but those late turnovers are killer. The Texas attack, which started hot with a 10-0 lead, just lost its way, managing one first down on four of its next six drives and committing a turnover on five of its next drives.
This win marks Florida’s first road victory against a top-10 team since they beat Florida State in 2012. The Gators are now 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC, with a massive Oct. 31 meeting against top-ranked Georgia in Atlanta looming. For Texas, now 4-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play, their College Football Playoff dreams are on life support after back-to-back losses. They’ve got to find a way to bounce back fast, because this one just knocked them way off track.
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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