It’s a bad time to be a Longhorns fan. Texas had a week to forget the Cotton Bowl, where quarterback Arch Manning had thrown two fourth-quarter interceptions against Oklahoma, one of them being a pick-six, and the No. 1 Longhorns lost 27-24 on a field goal. As a result, they dropped to No. 7, and next went up against unranked Florida. This was supposed to be an easy win for Steve Sarkisian.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The Gators had already lost their last two games. But what transpired in Austin was strikingly similar to last week’s result. In simple words, Texas led 17-3 in the second quarter. By the end of the third quarter, that commanding lead disappeared. Eventually, Manning did get a chance at redemption, but he lost it with a fumble.
“Arch Manning fumbles as Florida tries to upset No. 7 Texas!” Awful Announcing shared on X.
Florida linebacker Myles Graham had sacked Manning for a nine-yard loss, and defensive back Kanye Clark recovered the ball at the Texas 39. Florida took over with 1:58 left and finished off with a 27-24 win. A second straight defeat for Manning and the Longhorns. To add insult to injury, it was with the exact same score too.
The first question was about Manning’s job. Longhorns insider Michael Shapiro reported on X that Steve Sarkisian said “everything will be evaluated” when asked whether Manning will be Texas’ starter next week.
The 17-3 lead was less solid than it looked. All of the points came from either the run game or special teams. These included a 32-yard TD run by Raleek Brown, a 38-yard field goal by Gianni Spetic, and a 63-yard punt return touchdown by Ryan Niblett.
After that, Texas could not keep moving. Manning was averaging negative 0.7 air yards per completion entering the fourth quarter, per ESPN’s broadcast, and the offense did not score a touchdown again until late in the fourth.
Florida took control in the meantime, and Tramell Jones Jr., making his first career start, hit Lacota Dippre for a touchdown with 18 seconds left in the half. The Gators opened the third quarter with a 15-play, 69-yard drive that took 8 minutes and 3 seconds, and Jones found Dippre again to tie it at 17-17.
Texas’ defense had held Florida to three points until the last 18 seconds of the half, then spent most of the second half on the field. Jones finished 22 of 35 for 155 yards and two touchdowns, and Jadan Baugh ran 25 times for 91 yards.
Patrick Durkin’s 28-yard field goal made it 20-17 with 10:40 left, and the game turned on the next Texas possessions. On third-and-one from the Texas 49, Manning was sacked for a one-yard loss. Florida took over on downs, and Baugh scored from 11 yards out to make it 27-17. Two failed short-yardage plays gave the Gators a 10-point cushion.
Manning answered and escaped pressure for a 62-yard completion to Emmett Mosley V, then hit Cam Coleman from nine yards to cut it to 27-24 with 4:21 left. The defense forced a three-and-out, and Texas had the ball, the clock, and a chance to win.
Florida sent an overload blitz to the right side, Graham got to Manning, and the ball came out. It was the Gators’ fifth sack of the day, worth 29 yards.
Texas also lost edge rusher Colin Simmons, who left with 13:47 left in the fourth quarter with an apparent right-ankle injury.
This loss echoed last week’s game against Oklahoma when Manning went 19 of 31 for 260 yards and three touchdowns. Peyton Bowen returned one of his two interceptions 42 yards for a score, and Tate Sandell’s 47-yard field goal won it for Oklahoma, 27-24.
Two Saturdays, two 27-24 losses, and in both Manning struggled.
Arch Manning’s Last Three SEC Games, Side By Side
Put Manning’s last three SEC games together, and the totals are 47 of 70 for 634 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. That is 67.1 percent completions and about 211 yards a game.
The three interceptions came in the first two games, one against Tennessee and two against Oklahoma. Against Florida, he did not throw one, but he lost the fumble that ended the game.
Third down tells another story. Texas converted three of 12 third downs against Tennessee, three of 14 against Oklahoma, and two of 10 against Florida. That adds up to eight of 36, or 22.2%, across the three games.
The Florida box score fits that as the Gators outgained Texas 313 yards to 272 and had 21 first downs to the Longhorns’ 13.
The loss dropped Texas to 4-2, its second straight defeat after holding the No. 1 ranking two weeks ago. ESPN reported it was Texas’ largest blown home lead against an unranked opponent since 1965. Florida improved to 5-2.
Texas next faces Ole Miss, followed by Mississippi State, Missouri, and LSU. Florida plays Georgia on October 31. Now, the Longhorns have a week to improve on the score and work on fixing whatever is going wrong with Arch Manning.