The Florida Gators upset seventh-ranked Texas on Saturday, 27-24, snapping a two-game losing streak while also marking the program's first road win over a top-10 opponent since 2012.
Florida erased a 17-3 first-half deficit as quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. threw two touchdown passes in his first start, while Jadan Baugh's 11-yard touchdown run with 6:26 left gave Florida a 10-point lead. Florida's defense, meanwhile, held the Longhorns to just two offensive touchdowns, with Myles Graham's forced fumble on Arch Manning late in the game helping seal the win.
After the win, first-year head coach Jon Sumrall praised the team's ability to respond after back-to-back losses, but, once again, tempered expectations for the program. Here are five key quotes from Sumrall after the win.
"The most important thing that happened today is we fought, and winning the game matters."
To say Florida needed a win is an understatement. Riding high after its first 4-0 start since 2019 and a win over No. 4 Ole Miss, the Gators cooled down quickly with back-to-back blowout losses to Missouri and Texas. The Gators' resiliency and toughness had been called into question, as well.
Sumrall explained a win was needed, but how Florida won mattered, too.
"Our guys fought today. And we happened to win the game too, which is huge," he said. "But the most important thing that happened today is we fought, and winning the game matters. I want us to always win, but how you play the game matters as much to me. And we today showed a lot of character, a lot of growth, and the fact that we fought when maybe things had not been going our way, and a lot of it was self-inflicted. But just grateful for our guys’ response and the mental toughness and the resiliency to fight."
"So very proud of (Tramell Jones Jr.), grateful for his approach and happy for his success today.”
In his first start, Jones Jr. went 22-of-35 for 155 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. Touchdowns to Lacota Dippre erased Texas' 17-3 lead, while plays such as a fourth-down conversion to Dallas Wilson, a third-down conversion near the end of the game and a five-for-five mark on third down in the second half proved crucial.
"So, I’m proud of him for staying resilient, through going back to training camp when he didn’t win the job, and still being ready, and did a really nice job today," Sumrall said. "The thing I’m probably most grateful for is maybe no crazy, dumb decisions."
Jones Jr., of course, competed with Aaron Philo for the starting spot but ultimately lost the battle in fall camp. As his primary backup, he replaced Philo in each of the last two weeks before being named the starter privately on Friday. Sumrall praised Jones Jr. for his growth since spring camp, saying his preparation over the offseason allowed him to be ready for Saturday.
"Now you get your opportunity today, and you’re prepared to help the team win a game," he said. "When, if he’d have handled all those situations poorly, he wouldn’t have been as ready as he was for this opportunity. And so very proud of him, grateful for his approach and happy for his success today.”
"Today was a team win, not a quarterback win."
While Jones Jr. earned praise, Sumrall made it abundantly clear that the win was accomplished because of multiple reasons. Florida's offensive line was much better, allowing just one sack, while the defense looked night-and-day with a multi-takeaway effort, including a fourth-down stop and Graham's forced fumble in the second half.
"The success with our team today had more to do than just the quarterback," he said. "Our defense played a hell of a lot better. Our O-line played a hell of a lot better. So I’m not taking anything away from Tramell, but today was a team win, not a quarterback win."
The response came after Sumrall was asked if there would be a competition for the starting quarterback position. Sumrall said there is no decision on a starter due to Philo's injury and other success, but that he remains confident no matter who starts.
"I’m glad we got two guys I believe in we can go win football games with," he said. "We will get through the tape, I’ll watch the tape on the plane today, and then I’ll watch it again tomorrow and then we’ll figure out how we move forward."
"We have to figure out to suck less each week."
Sumrall now has two wins over top-10 opponents in his first seven games as Florida's head coach. Having already experienced two letdowns after his first one, he made sure to temper outside expectations again as they look to play a complete game.
"I guess part of why we got our ass kicked in Missouri and last week at home is because everybody around Gainesville was patting our guys in the back telling them how good they were, and I'm like, 'Guys, we suck. Like I've watched this practice, we're not very good,'" Sumrall said. "We still suck. We just suck less, all right. And so we have to figure out to suck less each week."
Saturday's win gave Florida its fifth of the year, which surpasses last year's total, and should be enough to put the Gators back into the rankings heading into the bye week before facing Georgia. While rankings ultimately matter as Florida fights to get back into playoff contention, Sumrall has his mind on other things.
"What it does for us, it gets us another win," he said. "But the thing it does more than a ranked win or a road win or whatever those stats are, what it does for me, it gives me belief and hope that our guys understand you have to fight your tail off every time you play the game."
Injury Updates
Florida was without two key offensive players on Saturday: starting quarterback Aaron Philo (shoulder) and wide receiver Vernell Brown III (knee), who were both listed as game-time decisions. Philo spent the day as the emergency third-string quarterback, while Brown III missed his third straight game after participating in warm-ups.
Sumrall had updates on both, saying Philo is a "couple week deal" and that they will work to bring him back into the fold as he gets more comfortable.
"A lot of it is based upon his ability to have some zip and do it on the move and function fully," Sumrall said. "But he's a tough dude."
He added that he did not feel like Brown III looked right during warmups.
"He looked right at times this week late in the week, but not consistent enough for us to be like, hey, let's go put him out there. So he's still not ready for maybe game action," Sumrall said of Brown III. "I feel really good about where he is going into a bye week and then having a game out of that. I feel really positive about where he is, the prognosis of him playing that next week."
Florida will not have updates on the two next week due to the bye week.
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