Florida pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the weekend on Saturday, beating No. 7 Texas 27-24 in Austin.
The Gators came in on a two-game losing skid after falling to Missouri and South Carolina, and didn't have starting quarterback Aaron Philo or Vernell Brown III, their top receiver. Yet, that still wasn't enough for Arch Manning and Texas to secure a win.
Backup quarterback Tramell Jones Jr., playing in his first career start, went 22 of 35 for 155 yards and two touchdowns, along with 41 rushing yards, while Florida's defense got after Manning, recording six sacks and allowing just 99 total rushing yards. After giving up 83 points over their previous two games, it was exactly the kind of bounce back the Gators' defense needed.
Texas led 17-10 at halftime, but Florida took control in the second half. Manning's late touchdown made it a 3-point game, but he then coughed up a costly fumble on the next possession that sealed the win for the Gators. Florida has now moved to 5-2, while Texas drops to 4-2 after suffering a second straight loss.
After the game, Florida coach Jon Sumrall made it clear that he wasn't getting carried away by the victory, telling reporters that the Gators "still suck" and "just suck less."
"In this game or in life," Sumrall said. "You don't get to go, 'Hey, I was good last week, so I get to be good next week, right?' 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. We still suck. We just suck less, all right. And so, we have to figure out to suck less each week."
The comment was meant to keep Florida humble, but it also raises an uncomfortable question for Texas. If the Gators still suck, what does that say about the Longhorns?
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Sumrall's first season in Gainesville has been a roller coaster. Florida started 4-0, including a dominant 52-28 win over then-No. 4 Ole Miss, a win that immediately put the Gators in the College Football Playoff conversation. They then proceeded to to drop their next two games, against SEC rivals no less, before rebounding against Texas on Saturday.
Florida still sits No. 20 in the AP Top 25, which is pretty good considering how the last few weeks have gone. But their remaining schedule will decide whether they still have a shot at making the CFP. They'll have this week off before hosting No. 5 Georgia, followed by games against Oklahoma, at No. 12 Kentucky, against Vanderbilt, and at Florida State to close out the regular season.
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The path is still there for Florida to make the CFP, but they'd likely need a near-perfect finish to get there, starting with a major win over Georgia. Texas, meanwhile, is heading in the opposite direction, falling from No. 7 to No. 19 after two straight losses. The Longhorns next host Ole Miss, with upcoming matchups against Mississippi State, Missouri, LSU, Arkansas, and Texas A&M. Lose any one of those games, and their season could be over.