Florida’s roller coaster of a 2026 season continues. The Gators stunned No. 7 Texas on the road Saturday, earning a 27-24 win at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
Florida improves to 5-2 (3-2 SEC) on the season, while the Longhorns drop to 4-2 (1-2 SEC) after suffering their second loss in as many weeks.
Here are my early takeaways from the contest.
Florida doesn’t stop fighting
The Gators couldn’t have played much worse through the first 20 minutes or so. They found themselves trailing 17-3 after Texas returned a punt for a touchdown early in the second quarter. Given what we had seen over the previous two weeks, I think most everyone watching figured that was the ballgame. I certainly did.
But Florida didn’t give up. The Gators started stacking stops and found some offensive momentum just before halftime. They responded with 24 unanswered points, taking their first lead with 10:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Florida roared back for the program’s largest comeback victory against a ranked SEC opponent in a true road game. It was also the Gators’ largest comeback victory against any SEC opponent in a true road game since Oct. 13, 2018, when they overcame an 18-point deficit at Vanderbilt.
Florida showed little fight after getting punched in the mouth against Missouri and South Carolina. But the Gators responded differently against Texas. Regardless of what this win means for the rest of the season, that response is a significant sign of growth for this team.
Tramell Jones Jr. delivers a statement win in his first career start
Sophomore quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. took the field in Austin for his first career start. On paper, it was an incredibly difficult situation, facing one of the country’s top defenses on the road.
It wasn’t always pretty, but Jones Jr. never looked rattled. He stuck to the game plan and made enough plays to secure the victory.
He finished the game completing 22 of 35 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns. He made his biggest impact with his legs, rushing for 41 yards on 10 carries. That stat line doesn’t do his performance justice, as sack yardage brought down his rushing total. Jones Jr. had four carries of at least nine yards, two of which set up touchdowns. His final one iced the game.
Most importantly, he took care of the football.
I don’t know what this means for Florida’s quarterback room. Junior starter Aaron Philo missed the game with a shoulder injury, and Jones Jr. didn’t necessarily take the job outright with his performance. But he went on the road and beat a top-10 team in his first career start.
Jon Sumrall has repeatedly said he believes Florida can win with both quarterbacks. I think we saw that today. Who will Florida go with against Georgia in two weeks? Your guess is as good as mine.
Florida’s defense steps up in a huge way
To beat a team like Texas, you have to make plays on both sides of the ball. Florida did exactly that.
After a rough start, Florida’s defense dominated the contest. The Gators allowed 10 points over the first 8:18 of the game but didn’t surrender another offensive point until 4:21 remained in the fourth quarter. Even then, it took an incredible 62-yard completion, aided by a blatant missed holding penalty, to set up the score.
Florida played with aggression, frequently getting home on the blitz. The Gators generated five sacks and 11 tackles for loss, winning the battle at the line of scrimmage.
It was also the secondary’s best performance of the season by a wide margin. Before Manning’s 62-yard completion late in the fourth quarter, he had well under 100 passing yards. At one point in the second half, Texas was averaging negative air yards per pass attempt, relying heavily on screens. On the few occasions the Longhorns tried to push the ball downfield, Florida’s secondary held up. The constant pressure up front certainly helped.
The Gators’ pursuit of the football was much better, particularly in the second half.
Florida also won the turnover battle, which was a key to victory. The Gators forced a fumble on a strip sack and stopped Texas twice on fourth down. That’s a 3-0 advantage in the turnover battle in the eyes of most coaches.
I’d have to rewatch the tape to get a better picture, but it looked to me like Florida simplified things defensively. There were fewer stunts along the defensive line and more of an emphasis on attacking up front and winning individual matchups.
This was the breakthrough performance we’ve been waiting for.
Ty Jackson earning more playing time
Sophomore linebacker Ty Jackson played just 14 snaps against Texas, but man, were they impactful.
You could argue he was the game’s momentum shifter. Trailing 17-3 with Texas getting the ball back, Jackson made three game-changing plays in the span of four snaps.
With roughly five minutes remaining in the first half and the Longhorns near midfield, Jackson sacked Manning for a six-yard loss. Two plays later, he teamed up with safety DJ Coleman to stop a screen pass short of the line to gain. On fourth-and-short, Jackson stuffed Texas running back Hollywood Smothers in the backfield for a loss, forcing a turnover on downs.
The stop set Florida up for a touchdown drive just before halftime, and just like that, the Gators were back in the game.
Jackson finished with three tackles, half a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss in just 14 snaps.
Entering the bye week
The Gators are right where I thought they’d be entering the bye week, sitting at 5-2 (3-2 SEC). It hasn’t looked anything like I expected, but they’re in that position nonetheless.
Florida has two massive wins over Ole Miss and Texas, along with two horrifically ugly losses to Missouri and South Carolina. I think everyone expected some ups and downs in Jon Sumrall’s first year, but probably not to this magnitude. It’s been difficult to figure out this team, but the Gators reached the bye week in pretty good shape, all things considered.
Florida needs to get healthy. The Gators beat Texas with a banged-up wide receiver room, and the bye week should give some of those players time to recover. It’s also an opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate the roster and determine who deserves more playing time, who might need a reduced role and where adjustments are necessary.
The bye week couldn’t come at a better time for Florida.