Twenty-four unanswered points
Florida trailed by 14 points at Texas on Saturday and then scored 24 straight to win 27-24 at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, handing the seventh-ranked Longhorns their second loss in as many weeks.
Jadan Baugh scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Gators improved to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the Southeastern Conference, while Texas fell to 4-2 and 1-1 in conference play.
A backup quarterback's first start
Florida started Tramell Jones Jr., a backup making his first career start, and he handled the comeback. Texas, meanwhile, could not get its offence moving consistently behind Arch Manning, who a week earlier threw two fourth-quarter interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, in a 27-24 loss to Oklahoma.
Entering the fourth quarter on Saturday, Manning was averaging minus 0.7 air yards per completion, according to the ESPN broadcast. He produced one highlight, escaping pressure and finding Emmett Mosley V for 62 yards to set up a 9-yard touchdown pass to Cam Coleman, but fumbled on the next series with the Longhorns driving for a possible winning score.
Simmons injured
Texas also lost edge rusher Colin Simmons to a lower-leg injury in the fourth quarter. Simmons entered the game with a national-leading 9.5 sacks and added one more before leaving. He did not return.
Both developments matter beyond the scoreline. Manning's draft stock has slipped this month, and Simmons is considered one of the top defensive prospects in the country. For Florida, the win is a lift in a season that had included losses to South Carolina and Missouri, and it came with a quarterback who had never started a college game.
Texas now heads into the back half of its schedule with two conference defeats and questions at the sport's most scrutinised position. Florida, which had lost two in a row, gets a result that changes how the rest of its season is judged.