Trailing 17-3 to Texas in the second quarter in Austin, the Florida Gators looked like they were headed for a third consecutive loss after their red-hot start to the Jon Sumrall era.
Sophomore quarterback Tramell Jones was struggling in his first career start in hostile territory, and in spite of a lackluster effort from Arch Manning, the Longhorns seemed like they were going to roll to a needed bounce back victory after the disaster in Red River.
A late second quarter touchdown provided a bit of life and confidence for Jones and the Gators, and Florida quickly tied things up on their first drive of the second half to raise the anxiety level in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Suddenly, the Texas offense couldn't move the ball and the Gators offense had found life, with star running back Jadan Baugh shaking off a few rough weeks to help take the pressure off his young quarterback with some key runs in the fourth quarter.
The Gators ripped off 24 unanswered points on Texas to take a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter on a Baugh touchdown run with just over six minutes to play.
Baugh player. 🤙 pic.twitter.com/votoHq56Qp
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) October 17, 2026
As he did against Ohio State earlier this year, Arch Manning found his best once again while trailing in the fourth quarter at home. Manning produced an unreal throw on fourth-and-7 to keep the Longhorns hopes alive and then delivered a strike for a touchdown to cut the deficit to three. After forcing a three-and-out, Texas seemed like it had seized all the momentum before disaster struck in the form of an Arch Manning fumble as he got sacked, handing the Gators the ball with a chance to run out the clock.
DE-FENSE 👏 👏 Myles Graham forced it. Kanye Clark recovered it. pic.twitter.com/DzOTNwMUZS
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) October 17, 2026
Jones would put the game on ice with a nifty third down run to get a first down after Texas had burned all of its timeouts, and the Gators got into victory formation for a huge 27-24 win on the road.
What the loss means for Texas
The Longhorns make some unfortunate history by blowing another first-half lead, as 2026 Texas is the first AP No. 1 to lose back-to-back games to unranked opponents. For Steve Sarkisian, it's another disappointing season with lofty expectations, and even with a massive contract, things are going to start warming up for Sark in Austin.
While Texas has undoubtedly raised its floor in the Sarkisian era, the expectation for Texas, given its investment in the program, is to compete for national championships. That's yet to happen, and at 4-2 the Longhorns now have an extremely small margin for error in the second half of the season if they want to make the College Football Playoff.
Adding to the Longhorns' problems going forward is the uncertain status of star pass rusher Colin Simmons, who went down with an apparent leg injury in the fourth quarter and did not return after leaving for the locker room on a cart. Simmons' 10.5 sacks on the season lead the nation, and in his absence, the Texas defense lacks the same ability to pressure the quarterback.
Given the defense has been carrying the load much of the season, that shifts more pressure to Arch Manning and the offense to figure things out. Saturday was once again a Jekyll and Hyde performance from Manning, as he produced a handful of incredible throws but also made some disastrous mistakes -- most notably the game-sealing fumble while being sacked.
Heading into Week 8, seemingly everything is on the table in Austin, as the Longhorns have gone from the top of the college football world to desperation mode in record time.
What the win means for Florida
All the excitement from the hot start for Jon Sumrall's Gators had been stripped away by back-to-back rough losses, dropping Florida out of the polls. With Aaron Philo injured, it seemed like things had gone from bad to worse, but now the Gators are right back in the mix at 5-2 and will be thinking about a second-half run in the SEC.
While it would take an undefeated run from here to likely make the College Football Playoff, Sumrall now seems to be locked in to having his first season in Gainesville viewed as a major success. Florida's defense ranked as the worst in the SEC coming into this game, but they produced some huge plays to force a couple of turnovers to help out their young quarterback.
That young QB also gives the Gators some confidence going forward that they can compete whether it's Jones or Philo under center -- and if anything, there's a question of whether Florida is better off with the dynamic sophomore running the show, given what he showed in Austin with his arm and legs.
Add CBS Sports on Google Join the Conversation comments
