Penalty tracker: Texas turns in clean performance against Florida

In a disappointing loss to the Florida Gators, a bright spot for the then-No. 7 Texas Longhorns came via penalties, or rather the lack thereof. With concerns becoming increasingly worrisome as the season progressed, the Longhorns turned in arguably their best game in the Steve Sarkisian era in being flagged just one time for 15 yards.

With just one call against the Longhorns, this marks the first time in Sarkisian’s 74-game tenure at Texas that his team has been flagged less than twice in a single game. In four different games during the Sarkisian era, including against Ohio State this season, Texas has committed two penalties, but never fewer.

The Longhorns now rank tied for 38th in penalties per game and 59th in penalty yards per game in the FBS, an improvement of 30 spots in the former category and 34 spots in the latter category.

The lone flag on Saturday was an illegal block below the waist on defensive back Graceson Littleton. Rather than 3rd and 1 at the Texas 40-yard line, the Florida offense was granted a fresh set of downs at the Texas 25-yard line. The drive resulted in a field goal.

Given the trajectory of the season and consecutive losses, much of the focus on the Texas football program is directed elsewhere; however, the performance on Saturday regarding penalties should be commended by the team, especially after the last few games have featured costly mistakes.

Considering the outcome, the disappointing element of the loss was how frequently the Gators made costly mistakes in committing seven penalties for 55 yards. Most notably, Florida lined up to go for it on a 4th and 1 near midfield, but a false start forced the Gators to punt instead. Head coach Jon Sumrall’s team also committed a pass-interference penalty on the first Texas drive that ended in a touchdown and a face-mask penalty on the second Longhorns drive that ended with a field goal.