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The No. 5 Texas Longhorns (8-1, 4-1 in the Southeastern Conference) returned to the field and put on a clinic with a 49-17 win over Florida (4-5, 2-4) on Nov. 9 at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorns' offense clicked on all cylinders for much of the game, scoring at will and putting up 562 yards despite a couple early missed opportunities, while its defense continued to set up scoring chances by forcing 3 turnovers.
Texas-Florida Game Summary
Florida entered the game facing an uphill battle with an inexperienced, third-string quarterback in Aidan Warner as its starter against the No. 5 team in the country. While the Gators' defense was able to hold Texas scoreless on its first possession despite five straight completions from quarterback Quinn Ewers, things turned quickly as Florida struggled to produce when it had the ball.
After Texas took a 7-0 lead, Florida immediately fumbled the ball back to the Longhorns, leading to a touchdown pass from Ewers to tight end Gunnar Helm. Then, as Florida tried to stay in the game, kicker Trey Smack missed a 30-yard field goal, giving Texas even more momentum.
Ewers threw 2 more touchdown passes—including a 50-yard screen pass to running back Quintrevion Wisner where the running back was untouched until the 5-yard line—and the Longhorns turned a late first-half interception into more points as running back Jaydon Blue took the ball into the end zone for a 5-yard score and a 35-0 halftime lead.
Texas quickly added to its lead in the second half as Florida turned the ball over again on its second play, and Ewers found wide receiver Isaiah Bond for his fifth touchdown pass of the game.
Florida got 2 late touchdown runs from running backs Jadan Baugh and Ja'Kobi Jackson, who combined for 204 rushing yards, but the deficit was far too much to overcome.
Ewers finished with 333 passing yards and a career-best 5 touchdown passes, and the Longhorns' running game added 210 yards and a score on the ground.
Turning Point
Texas faced a fourth-and-1 on its own 24-yard line in a scoreless game in the first quarter. Many teams would have just punted, played defense and looked for points later against an inferior opponent. However, the Longhorns decided to go for it and picked up a first down with a 2-yard run by freshman running back Jerrick Gibson.
The drive ended with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to wide receiver Matthew Golden, and Texas quickly found themselves with a multi-score lead after the aforementioned fumble. Florida had better luck offensively in the second half but could not keep up with the Longhorns on either side of the ball.
What it Means
Texas is now 8-1 for the second consecutive year and pulls closer to No. 14 Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1) and No. 3 Georgia (7-1, 5-1) in the SEC race. Ewers' performance was a great sign for the Longhorns going forward, and the defense has been excellent most of the season. However, they do need to run the ball more consistently.
While Texas had over 200 yards on the ground in this game, it only had 56 rushing yards at halftime. Part of the reason for that was the ease with which its passing game moved the ball, but better teams will force the Longhorns to play their best in all phases.
Texas faces Arkansas (5-4, 3-3) on the road at noon EST on Nov. 16 in another renewed SEC rivalry before hosting Kentucky (3-6, 1-6) on Nov. 23. The big remaining game is against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, on Nov. 30 as both teams fight to make the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Florida has three games remaining and will focus on making a bowl game after the news broke that head coach Billy Napier will be returning in 2025.
The Gators need two more wins to reach a bowl but will have to go through a gauntlet to get there. Florida's next two games are against No. 15 LSU (6-2, 3-1) and No. 16 Ole Miss (7-2, 3-2), making the Gators a factor in the SEC race as a potential spoiler with opportunities to ruin the season for a couple of contenders.
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