For the second straight year, the Texas Longhorns suffered a disappointing loss to the Florida Gators. No. 7 Texas fell 27-24 at home, leaving fans stunned.
The Longhorns led by as much as 14 and looked on their way to a victory, but poor execution and lengthy Gator offensive drives changed the outcome.
Texas lost at home to an unranked opponent with a backup quarterback. The Gators deserve a ton of credit for their performance, but let's take a look at who increased and dropped their stock on Saturday.
Who Helped Themselves?
Special Teams
It's a bit ironic that Texas' special teams were one of the few bright spots from this victory. Special teams coordinator Jeff Banks was under heavy fire after multiple miscues last week, but they showed up this week.
In the second quarter, Ryan Niblett shook off multiple tacklers and took a 63-yard punt return to the house. The Longhorns executed their assignments better and kept their team in the game.
Texas' defense was surprisingly underwhelming as quarterback Tramel Jones and running back Jadan Baugh helped the Gators sustain long second-half drives. However, Jelani McDonald had a phenomenal game.
The Longhorns' safety made impressive open-field tackles and recorded a pass deflection. ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer compared McDonald to Steve Atwater during the broadcast.
McDonald's game often goes unnoticed, but he was one of the few standouts on Saturday.
Who Hurt Themselves?
The Offense...Again
The up-and-down Texas offense was in full effect against the Gators. They marched downfield on their opening drive, resulting in a 32-yard touchdown run by Raleek Brown.
After the Longhorns led 10-0 in the first quarter, the offense ran 28 plays for 99 yards before a late fourth-quarter touchdown. Arch Manning finished with 173 yards and a touchdown.
To his credit, Manning delivered an impressive throw to Emmett Mosley V to keep the game alive. But he also made questionable decisions and put the ball in danger. The offensive line failed in pass protection, and the running game was absent in the second half.
Texas is a puzzling offense. This unit has too much talent, but they're failing to execute, and Steve Sarkisian doesn't have many answers.
Texas' College Football Playoff Hopes
Two October losses put the Longhorns' College Football Playoff aspirations in serious jeopardy. Back-to-back losses against unranked opponents is unacceptable.
Texas was the country's highest-ranked team a week ago. Now, the Longhorns are against the wall and have to put out multiple fires. They could be without Colin Simmons for multiple weeks, depending on the severity of his injury.
Texas has to respond quickly or this season could spiral. Figuring out the offense should be the top priority.
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