'Bled out': No. 7 Texas was bullied by Florida en route to second straight SEC loss

Steve Sarkisian needed just five words to explain how Texas football (4-2, 1-2 SEC) was outscored by 10 points in the second half of Saturday's 27-24 loss to the Florida Gators at Royal-Memorial Stadium. 

"We kind of bled out," Sarkisian said. "We didn't play very good football today, outside of about the first quarter."

Sarkisian was succinct in his summation of Texas' second-half struggles. He could have used a different, similarly apt metaphor: the Longhorns were ground to dust.

Florida ripped off drives of 14 and 15 plays in the second half. It converted all five third-down attempts on its first drive of the second half (a 15-play, eight-minute march) and closed the game with a quarterback scramble for a first down. Texas' defense was stout in the first 30 minutes but struggled to get off the field in the second half, two quarters in which the Gators tallied 27 rushing attempts (excluding kneel downs) for 111 yards.

I had my hesitation on Tramell Jones as a runner. Felt like the #Gators QB hadn't added much with his legs in his short career Ready to admit I was wrong after today. His legs were a huge part in Florida's upset win 🐊9 runs for 52 yards and the dagger⬇️ https://t.co/Itwnaf709r

- Dylan Olive (@DylanOlive_UF) October 17, 2026

"They're getting runs of 3 yards, runs of 5 yards, a completion for 6 yards, a completion of 5 yards," Sarkisian said. "They were converting third downs, they were able to stay on the field. Over time, that means you're fatigued defensively."

Texas' defense couldn't secure critical stops when needed. But the blame isn't shared by just one side of the ball.

The offense responded to Florida's first touchdown of the second half with a three-play, 6-yard drive and a punt. They ran just six total plays in the third quarter, a 15-minute stretch in which they generated eight yards and held the ball for 3 minutes, 17 seconds. Texas had 11 drives on the day. None reached even four minutes, sending the defense onto the field for more than 38 of the game's 60 minutes. 

Texas sprinted to a 10-0 first-quarter lead and Florida generated just 51 yards in its first four drives, struggling to gain offensive momentum with backup quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. playing in place of regular starter Aaron Philo, who's injured. An assumed mismatch quickly flipped. Texas was stonewalled on two critical short-yardage plays in the second half while Florida converted the game-winning first down on the ground. 

The Longhorns were beaten by Oklahoma last week. On Saturday they were bullied by Florida, a concerning fact for Sarkisian and a Texas team with fading College Football Playoff hopes. 

This article originally published at 'Bled out': No. 7 Texas was bullied by Florida en route to second straight SEC loss.