Texas cannot afford any more losses for its CFP resume's sake after a second-straight loss in as many weeks, this time to Florida.
The Longhorns lost 27-24 to the Gators at Darrell K. Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday after a Red River Rivalry defeat to Oklahoma last weekend.
It was the second time in as many weekends that UT lost by this exact score. This Florida loss was much more devastating, though.
EDGE Colin Simmons was carted off the field, and his return is unclear at this point.
Here's how the Longhorns graded out in a loss that puts the program under the gun for the rest of the 2026 season:
Quarterback: D
Arch Manning's NFL draft stock continues to fall as the losses pile up.
Perhaps the most damning part of this loss was Manning's fumble on the last offensive drive for Texas. Gators linebacker Myles Graham strip-sacked him before Florida quarterback Tramell Jones guided the offense to a game-sealing first down on the last drive of the game with his legs.
Manning completed 14-of-20 passes for 173 passing yards and a touchdown pass to Cam Coleman. With Ole Miss and LSU still to play, the onus is on Manning to figure out how to make a bigger impact with his legs, because protection isn't giving him much time to process his reads before the pass rush collapses the pocket.
Even when it did though, Manning seemed bewildered far too often to make consistent plays with his arms
Running Back: B
Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown had a 60/40 split, respectively, in the backfield on Saturday. Brown was more efficient, but both combined for 99 yards and a touchdown run on 20 carries.
The duo helped keep the offense in schedule, but it was ultimately moot. Gators running back Jadan Baugh had 91 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, by comparison.
In the second half, however, they seemingly disappeared.
Receivers: B
Coleman caught three of his four targets from Manning, but he only had 18 yards on three catches in what was a quiet day for the most expensive transfer in the portal this past offseason.
While Emmett Mosley V had a great game (two catches, 76 yards), playing more outside than usual, and Ryan Wingo (two first downs, five catches, 49 yards) had several timely catches himself, the receiving corps was hamstrung by the lack of protection as well. Manning simply couldn't get going under constant pressure.
The good news for the future is that true freshman Jermaine Bishop Jr. continues to be a factor in the passing game.
Offensive Line: C+
While the group protected the run well, Manning averaged just -0.7 air yards per completion. Pass protection directly led to the game-losing fumble, and generally had Manning on the run. The group allowed for just 21:42 of possession time.
Things get a bit easier against the Rebels next weekend, but Missouri and Texas A&M could spell trouble for this group in November.
Defensive Line: B+
You can't blame the defensive line for this loss. Jones was adequately pressured, but the loss of Simmons deflated the unit's aggression.
While the run defense left a bit to be desired, Baugh was ultimately held under 100 yards for just the third time all season.
Linebackers: B+
Between Justin Cryer's game-leading 11 tackles and Rasheem Biles being a Baugh-stopper in the open field, the linebackers played as well as the defensive line.
The second level held its own against a Florida offense that had the kind of quarterback you have to worry about out of broken plays.
Cornerbacks: B
Bo Mascoe was notably burned by Gators receiver Dallas Wilson for a 4th-and-12 conversion in the first half. Jones found tight end Lacota Dippre in the end zone just three plays later to cut the lead to seven.
Overall, though, Jones had just 155 passing yards. Completions were high but passing yardage was scarce for Florida.
Safeties: C+
The safeties were unfortunately a sore spot for the defense.
Jelani McDonald's missed tackle on Jones during the final offensive play could've given Texas the ball back. McDonald was the lone bright spot of the group overall, though. Dippre's touchdown catch was a direct result of a communication breakdown in the third level.
The safeties could've done more to slow Baugh and Jones in the open field.
Special Teams: B+
Ryan Nibblet was explosive in the return game and Gianni Spetic made his one field goal and three extra points.
Mac Chiumento had a 42-yard average on his punts, which is solid, if unspectacular.
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