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Image Credit: UAA
Following two embarrassing performances that appeared to indicate the Florida Gators were nowhere close to legitimate improvement in Year 1 under head coach Jon Sumrall, a total team effort allowed Florida to overcome a slow start and overwhelm the No. 7 Texas Longhorns at Darryl K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. Not only did Sumrall pick up his second top 10 win of the season, Saturday marked the Gators’ first road win over a top 10 team since 2012 and their first road win over any ranked team since 2020.
Florida was ice cold out of the gates with Texas jumping ahead 17-3 amid two special teams blunders and six penalties that cost UF 50 yards in key situations during the first half. However, one critical decision by Sumrall completely turned the tide of the opening stanza, and ultimately, the game.
Faced with fourth-and-12 at the UT 36-yard-line, a no-man’s-land situation, Sumrall decided to go for the first down. Sophomores quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. (making his first career start) and wide receiver Dallas Wilson (who broke out against Texas in his debut last season) rewarded their coach with a 17-yard conversion that kept the chains moving.
Three plays later, the Gators found the end zone, cut their deficit in half and entered the locker room with momentum they never possessed to that point in the game.
Despite starting 0 of 7 on third down, Jones led a total turnaround effort in the second half. Florida converted 8 of 12 attempts over the final two quarters as Jones completed 22 of 35 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns in the game, taking 10 carries for 41 yards rushing — all of them crucial — to keep the defense honest and take pressure off junior running back Jadan Baugh.
Baugh came alive in the second half, picking up most of his 91 yards rushing on 25 carries and rumbling into an end zone for an 11-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that served as the go-ahead and game-winning score.
The Gators’ embattled defense was exceptional as well. Entering the game having given up 619 yards passing and seven touchdowns — plus a ton of yards rushing — over the last two contests, Florida held the over-hyped Arch Manning to 173 yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts while registering five stacks, 11 tackles for loss and two turnovers on downs.
UF also picked up its first takeaway in three games to seal the contest in the fourth quarter with junior linebacker Myles Graham jarring the ball loose from Manning’s grip before senior cornerback Kanye Clark redeemed himself with the recovery after making two bone-headed plays on special teams in the first half.
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