Instant takeaways from Florida’s come-from-behind win at Texas

It had been 5,075 days since Florida had defeated a top-10 opponent on the road. But that 14-year streak was snapped when the Gators shocked the world and topped the No. 7 Texas Longhorns on Saturday behind a backup quarterback and fresh off a two-game skid.

Florida (5-2, 3-2 SEC) walked into a rowdy Texas Memorial Stadium environment of 100,000-plus and eked out a 27-24 win. The Gators took down then-No. 10 Florida State in 2012 in their last road top-10 victory.

Texas (4-2, 1-2) was coming off a one-possession loss to Oklahoma and went 37 game minutes without a score against Florida. The Gators rattled off 24 unanswered points after falling behind 17-3 with 2:44 left in the first half, and converted eight of 11 third-down attempts after failing on their first five conversion tries.

Here are five takeaways from Florida’s massive road upset over the Longhorns.

The lights weren’t too bright for Tramell Jones Jr.

Making your first collegiate start in one of college football’s most hostile environments is no easy feat. But Tramell Jones Jr. isn’t just any first-time starter. After seven games of deputy work over his two-year career, Jones finally got his chance in Austin, and he made a major statement.

At first, Jones struggled. While he completed five of his first six pass attempts, only one went for more than six yards. However, the sophomore signal-caller finally got going in the final drive of the first half. First, Jones layered a perfect pass to UF’s leading receiver on the season, Dallas Wilson, for a 17-yard gain on a crucial fourth-and-12. Then, he connected with tight end Lacota Dippre in the end zone to bring the Gators back within one possession, 17-10.

But Jones was at his absolute best in the second half. After misfiring on his throw in the third quarter, Jones went on a seven-pass completion streak, capped off by his second touchdown throw of the day to Dippre.

Jones, however, wasn’t done there. He again completed five consecutive passes while executing a 14-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a 28-yard go-ahead field goal by Patrick Durkin. Ultimately, the sophomore signal-caller went 22-of-35 passing for 155 yards and two touchdowns. 

He also showcased his dual-threat ability, scrambling for 41 yards on 10 carries, two of which moved the chains. But his biggest run came in the biggest spot possible. On a third-and-7 with just 1 minute and 51 seconds left on the clock, he kept the ball on a zone read and juked the last Texas defender to pick up the first down and iced the game.

Jones’ success on the ground, paired with the resurgence of Jadan Baugh (25 carries for 91 yards) and the emergence of London Montgomery (four carries for 20 yards), led to a return to form for Florida’s rushing attack.

Further, Jones consistently extended plays despite consistent defensive pressure from the Longhorns, ultimately only being sacked once in the contest.

He also outdueled preseason Heisman Trophy candidate Arch Manning all afternoon. Manning, who came into Saturday 11-0 in home starts, went 14-of-20 passing for 173 yards and a touchdown.

With his first collegiate start — and win — under his belt, it wouldn’t be a shock if Jones remains “the guy” going forward.

Here are five takeaways from Florida’s massive road upset over the Longhorns.

The real Florida defense stood up

In the first two drives of Saturday’s game, it seemed that Florida’s defensive woes would continue for another week. The Longhorns had a combined 15 plays for 135 yards and put the first 10 points of the game on the board in just 6 minutes and 10 seconds of offensive game time.

But then, the Gators' defense woke up, and they stayed dialed in for the large majority of the contest.

Florida forced a punt, and then a three-and-out and punt. Then, when Texas seemed destined to extend its lead before the half, sophomore linebacker Ty Jackson made the biggest play of his collegiate career, stuffing running back Hollywood Smothers on a fourth-and-1 at midfield. That led to UF’s 14-point outburst at the end of the first half and into the second half.

And in the third quarter, the Gators' defense was at its 2026 peak. The Longhorns had just over 3 minutes of total possession and totaled only eight yards in six plays. 

In the fourth quarter, the Gators stepped up when needed most. With Texas facing a fourth-and-2 near midfield, defensive tackle Brendan Bett stuffed Manning behind the line to force the change of possession.

Florida’s defense did have a major chance to put the game out of reach on a fourth-and-6. However, JACK Jayden Woods couldn’t take down Manning, who aired it out for Emmett Mosley V for a 63-yard gain. Two plays later, Manning found wideout Cam Coleman for an 8-yard score.

But the defense made its mark to secure the victory. On second-and-8 nearing midfield, linebacker Myles Graham sacked Manning and forced the ball loose. STAR Kanye Clark jumped onto the pigskin and Florida took over at Texas’ 39-yard line with 1:58 to go. 

That was just one of five sacks the Gators recorded on the day. Junior defensive end LJ McCray led the team with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss in a breakout performance. Graham had the other lone sack on the aforementioned forced fumble. Meanwhile, Bett, Jackson, defensive lineman DK Kalu and defensive backs Ben Hanks III and Lagonza Hayward all recorded half a sack.

Ultimately, the Gators held Texas to 272 total yards and only allowed two conversions on 10 third-down attempts in its best performance of the season.

Florida’s pass-catchers delivered despite adversity

For the health of Florida’s 2026 wide receiver room, when it rains, it pours. 

For the third consecutive game, standout Vernell Brown III was sidelined due to a PCL sprain in his left knee. He went during warmups for a third straight Saturday, but ultimately, he didn’t see the field.

And then Florida’s core took another major hit when, in the third quarter, Bailey Stockton, who had admirably filled in for Brown during his absence, went down with a non-contact leg injury. Stockton remained out for a handful of plays, but returned on Florida’s final drive of the third frame. Stockton tallied four grabs for 31 yards.

Down two of their top three receivers on the season, Florida needed the rest of its pass catchers to take advantage of their opportunities. And many did.

Eric Singleton Jr. finally looked 100% for the first time all season, recording a team-high seven catches for 43 yards. He also nearly had Florida’s longest reception of the day in the early second quarter, but Jones undershot the speedy wideout.

Singleton was targeted on five of Jones’ first seven passes, cementing his presence early without Florida’s No. 1 option.

Meanwhile, Dallas Wilson continued to make plays in big spots despite being tightly covered all afternoon. His first grab of the contest was a toe-tapping 17-yard catch on a massive fourth-and-12 conversion near the end of the first half. 

But it was Dippre who made arguably the biggest impression on Saturday. After Wilson’s big-time grab, Jones found a wide-open Dippre for UF’s first touchdown of the afternoon. And then, on the ensuing drive out of the half, Dippre again found open space in the end zone to get on the board for a second time. The Pennsylvania native logged just two catches coming into Austin, but made a massive impact in the win.

Not so special teams

Ahead of Saturday, it appeared Florida would have an advantage with its special teams unit, but that concept slipped away quickly. 

Punter Alec Clark saw his first action 5:26 into the game and nearly sucked some of the momentum out of Texas Memorial Stadium. He booted a 75-yard punt that took a massive bounce into Texas’ 5-yard line. The Gators had an opportunity to pin the Longhorns at the 1, but Kanye Clark pushed the ball into the end zone and Texas opened the drive at their 20-yard line. The punt was the fourth-longest across all FBS programs this year. 

The Oklahoma Sooners narrowly defeated Texas last week thanks to a blocked punt in the end zone. Dakoda Fields’ second-quarter recovery fueled Oklahoma’s 27-24 win and exposed Texas’ special-teams blunders.

However, Alec Clark’s punt wasn’t the sole mistake the unit produced.

The senior’s third punt of the first half was fielded by Texas’ Ryan Niblett, who ran the length of the field and extended the Longhorns’ lead to 14. Kanye Clark continued his rough special teams outing after whiffing on a clear-cut tackle after Niblett received the punt. Texas’ junior wove in between the rest of Florida’s coverage team and broke free unscathed.

From there, the Gators tightened up their special teams play en route to victory. However, those mistakes could have cost Florida in a major way on another day.

First-half self-inflicted mistakes nearly cost the Gators

Headed into Saturday’s game, Florida totaled 48 penalties for 467 yards. And against the Longhorns, the Gators' discipline continued to be out of whack, as UF committed seven penalties to Texas’ one.

The mishaps began on the opening drive, when cornerback Cormani McClain was flagged for pass interference against Coleman. Two plays later, Texas went ahead with a 32-yard touchdown run by Raleek Brown.

Then, on Florida’s second offensive drive, the Gators faced a fourth-and-1 midfield. Tramell Jones Jr. took a QB sneak and seemed to move the chains, but right guard TJ Shanahan Jr. was flagged for a false start, costing the conversion. The Gators then punted.

While Florida mostly cleaned up its discipline from that point forward, it could have been detrimental down the stretch.

Contact Riley Orovitz at rorovitz@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @rileyorovitz.

Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @maxbernstein23.

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