Florida 27, Texas 24: Gators answer a 17-3 hole with 24 straight points

Florida trailed No. 7 Texas 17-3 early in the second quarter at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, then scored the next 24 points. The Gators won 27-24 by keeping the ball away from Arch Manning: they held possession for 38:11, converted 8 of 19 third downs and did not turn it over.

It is the second straight 27-24 loss for Texas, which fell to Oklahoma by the same score a week earlier. Full prices and market history are on the game page.

How it was won

Texas started fast. Raleek Brown ran 32 yards for a touchdown at 11:42 of the first quarter, and G. Spetic added a 38-yard field goal at 6:42 for a 10-0 lead.

P. Durkin got Florida on the board with a 45-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Two minutes later, R. Niblett returned an A. Clark punt 63 yards for a touchdown, and Texas led 17-3 at 11:27 of the second.

That was the last time the Longhorns scored for more than 37 minutes of game time. Tramell Jones Jr. found L. Dippre for a 7-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left in the half to make it 17-10. In the third quarter, the same pair connected from 8 yards at 6:50 to tie it at 17.

Durkin's 28-yard field goal at 10:40 of the fourth gave Florida its first lead, 20-17. Jadan Baugh then ran 11 yards for a touchdown at 6:22 to push it to 27-17.

Texas answered with Manning's 9-yard touchdown pass to C. Coleman at 4:21, but did not score again.

The box score explains the shape of it. Florida outgained Texas 313 to 272, with a balanced 155 passing and 158 rushing, and had 21 first downs to 13. Texas went 2 of 10 on third down and committed the game's only turnover.

Jones finished 22 of 35 for 155 yards and two touchdowns, and added 41 yards on 10 carries. Baugh carried 25 times for 91 yards and a score. Eric Singleton Jr. caught seven passes for 43 yards, and Bailey Stockton had four for 31.

Manning was efficient when he had the ball, completing 14 of 20 for 173 yards and a touchdown, but he did not have it often. Emmett Mosley V accounted for 76 of those yards on two catches, and Ryan Wingo had five receptions for 49. Hollywood Smothers ran 12 times for 52 yards, and Brown had 47 on eight carries.

Against the number

Texas closed as a 13.5-point favorite, so Florida covered outright. The moneyline was Florida +410 and Texas -550, which makes this one of the larger upsets on the conference board this season.

The total closed at 51.5. With 51 points scored, it went under by half a point. Texas's late touchdown kept it close, but no further scoring followed.

What's next

Florida improves to 5-2 after back-to-back losses to Missouri and South Carolina. The Gators have a week off before facing No. 1 Georgia on Saturday, October 31 (ABC).

Texas drops to 4-2, its two losses coming by three points in consecutive weeks. The Longhorns host No. 9 Ole Miss on Saturday, October 24 (ABC). Florida beat Ole Miss 52-28 earlier this season.