It’s been nearly 100 years since the first matchup between Florida and Texas, and the Gators (1-3, 0-1 SEC) will host the No. 9 Texas Longhorns (3-1) Oct. 4 for the first time since 1940.
There is plenty of anticipation for the game, but each team has experienced varying degrees of success despite entering the year with lofty expectations.
“This has been talked about for a long time, and Texas coming to play at Florida is a big deal,” Florida head coach Billy Napier said Oct. 1. “It’s great to be back at home after being on the road for a couple of weeks here, and excited about what could be a very special atmosphere with our fans.”
The Gators entered the year ranked No. 15. Since then, they have dropped three straight matchups, rank in the bottom of most offensive metrics in their conference and could be on the brink of a head coaching change.
Texas, on the other hand, started the year ranked No. 1 and had the highest odds of winning its conference championship. But the Longhorns haven’t appeared as much of a threat after losing to No. 3 Ohio State in Week 1 and struggling to beat the University of Texas at El Paso.
Nonetheless, there is one commonality between the two teams: They’re looking to prove their rest-of-season trajectory.
In Florida, the Gators are seeking to prove there’s still a pulse in the locker room.
Quarterback DJ Lagway will suit up for the first time against the Longhorns after he suffered a leg injury, forcing him to sit out in the 2024 matchup.
When the two teams met last year, Florida fell to the Longhorns 49-17 behind UF thirdstring quarterback Aidan Warner, who started in place of an injured Lagway and Graham Mertz. Warner completed fewer than half of his passes for 132 yards and two interceptions.
However, Lagway has largely struggled this year despite entering the season on the Heisman and Maxwell Award watch lists. Napier has admitted the quarterback’s struggles largely stem from his offseason injuries and failure to practice until just weeks before the season.
“We kind of changed the practice format to give him more opportunities because that's ultimately what he needs,” Napier said Oct. 1. “He just needs to get calibrated, if that makes sense, so I'm hopeful that that plan worked.”
Through four games, Lagway has tossed 690 passing yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions. He is averaging just 5.6 yards per attempt and has struggled to throw the deep ball despite finding success doing so his freshman season.
As an offensive unit, the Gators rank last in the SEC, averaging 22 points per game this season. If you remove their first matchup against FCS opponent Long Island, Florida is averaging just 11 points per game.
The Gators also rank second-to-last in the conference in total yards per game, averaging 328.3. Their 35.25 passing attempts per game are the fifth-most in the SEC, yet their 205.3 passing yards per game rank No. 14.
Their rushing attack hinted at success when the two teams met in 2024. Florida running backs Ja’Kobi Jackson and Jadan Baugh combined for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns. However, Jackson will miss the upcoming matchup due to an undisclosed injury, putting much of the load on Baugh and freshman running back Duke Clark.
“His mentality and just his ability, how mature he is now,” Jackson said of Clark ahead of fall camp. “From January to now, he's still a freshman, but we wouldn't think he's a freshman.”
Texas is middle of the pack offensively in their conference, averaging the ninth most yards per game and tallying roughly the same amount of yards passing (944) as it does on the ground (811). The Longhorns’ defense, similar to the Gators, has kept the team afloat throughout its first four matchups.
Texas has surrendered just 848 yards total, which is the second fewest in the SEC. Its opponents are averaging just over a touchdown per game (7.8 points).
Most of that credit goes to their stout run defense with sophomore linebacker Colin Simmons, who led the team with nine sacks and earned freshman All-American honors in 2024.
Simmons has logged 1.5 sacks this season and six tackles this year, and sophomore defensive lineman Maraad Watson has added 1.5 sacks and 10 tackles. As a unit, the defense has given up just 243 rushing yards (60.8 yards per game).
However, much of the focus on Texas has been on quarterback Arch Manning. As one of the Heisman favorites entering 2025, he struggled against the Longhorns’ one formidable opponent in Ohio State. Manning has struggled to pick up the tempo of the offense and logged just 170 yards, one touchdown and an interception in the Texas’ Week 1 loss.
“I think it’s part of his development, and I think it’s important for us on the outside to be realistic about expectations with these young QBs,” Napier said of Manning’s struggles. “He's extremely talented and capable of being very efficient and explosive.”
Contact Luke Adragna at ladragna@alligator.org. Follow him on X @lukeadrag.
Luke is The Alligator's Sports Editor and is a senior sports journalism student. In his free time, he enjoys playing with his cat named Pete and going down a rabbit hole of niche professional athletes (shoutout Charles Sims).
