By Grace Raynor, Ralph Russo and Dane Brugler
With a five-star freshman receiver providing a lift to its super sophomore quarterback, Florida beat No. 9 Texas 29-21 on Saturday to change the trajectory of its season and hand the preseason No. 1 team its second loss.
In a game matching two highly touted quarterbacks trying to put forgettable Septembers behind them, Florida’s DJ Lagway looked like the prospect that was promised.
The sophomore threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns to Dallas Wilson, including a spectacular 55-yarder to freshman Dallas Wilson, who ran through two Longhorns on the way to the end zone to make it 29-14 late in the third quarter. Wilson had six catches for 111 yards.
DALLAS DRAGGIN’ DEFENDERS TO THE END ZONE 😤💪@GatorsFB x 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/C8QGbyoWZm
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) October 4, 2025
For Texas’ Arch Manning, it was more misery. The third-year quarterback passed for 263 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 37 yards, but was also picked off twice in the second half.
The Longhorns came into the season off consecutive College Football Playoff semifinal appearances and as the preseason No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in school history. An opening loss at defending champion Ohio State tamped down the hype for Texas and its famous new QB, the nephew of Super Bowl winners Peyton and Eli Manning.
The Longhorns cut the lead to eight, 29-21, with a 1-yard touchdown run by Quintrevion Wisner with 3:20 left in the fourth quarter. Florida had a chance to burn the clock down after the score, but some questionable clock management gave Texas and Manning one more chance with 54 seconds left at their own 31.
The Longhorns managed to get past midfield, but Manning was dragged down with the clock winding and he couldn’t get to the line and spike it quickly enough to get Texas a chance for a Hail Mary.
“We’ve gotta play better and we just didn’t play good enough and that’s on me,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “This is where you find out about the culture that you have, and that’s what we just talked about as a team. We’ve gotta get tighter than we’ve ever been, we’re gonna have to quiet the noise because there will be plenty of noise coming out of this game.”
Six weeks into the season, now just making the playoffs will be difficult for the Longhorns (3-2), who have yet to beat a Power 4 opponent.
An unrecognizable Florida offense
After throwing five interceptions against LSU and no touchdowns against Miami last month, Lagway looked confident and poised Saturday. The entire Florida offense was almost unrecognizable from the version that slogged through September.
Heading into Saturday, Florida’s offense ranked No. 120th nationally of 136 FBS schools in yards per play (4.94) and hadn’t put up more than 20 points since Week 1 against Long Island.
But boy, did the Gators flip the script at The Swamp against a loaded Texas that was supposed to be the backbone of a national title contender.
“That’s the football team I thought we had at the very beginning,” Florida coach Billy Napier said.
Florida put up 457 total yards, with Jadan Baugh complementing Lagway and Wilson with 107 yards rushing on 27 carries. — Ralph Russo, college football writer
A disaster for Manning, Texas’ offense
Manning had two of the most impressive throws of his season late in the third quarter Saturday. The first came when he slipped past the pressure, stepped up and lasered a 38-yard touchdown to Ryan Wingo over the middle of the field. The second came with about 30 seconds left in the quarter when Manning faked the handoff, stayed disciplined with his feet and connected with DeAndre Moore Jr. for 19 yards as he was (again) falling to the turf after being drilled by a Florida defender.
Add into the mix a 36-yard run early in the fourth quarter, and it was clear Manning was doing everything possible to hang in, showing how dynamic he can be when he’s at his best and things are clicking. But then, with about 13 minutes to play, Manning threw a particularly bad interception, and any momentum Texas’ offense may have finally found was suddenly shattered. He threw another pick midway through the fourth quarter. Welcome to the Arch Manning experience?
(Photo: Matt Pendleton / Imagn Images)
Texas has plenty of talent, but holy smokes, it was a tough day to be Manning and the Texas offensive line after Florida’s defense wreaked havoc on them all day. Manning entered Saturday as the worst quarterback in the SEC for dropback success rate when blitzed, per TruMedia, and it was clear from the jump that Florida’s defensive plan was all about making life as miserable as possible for him. Mission accomplished.
Manning could never fully get comfortable as the Gators were in his face all day, using their speed and athleticism to eat Texas’ offensive line alive and wrap up No. 16 as quickly and physically as possible. The one time he had an open touchdown in the first half — on a big third-and-9 in the second quarter — he got the throw off cleanly with a Florida defender in his face, but missed a wide-open Emmett Mosley V.
The second half opened the same way the first half ended — with Manning being sacked for a loss of six yards on the second play of the half. The Gators somehow only finished with six sacks, despite it looking like Manning spent the whole afternoon on the turf.
Saturday was far from being all Manning’s fault as Texas was exposed at the line of scrimmage (on both sides of the ball). And to his credit, he had some big-time throws and scrambles, particularly in the second half. But the reality is that after a season-opening loss to Ohio State, where he struggled with accuracy, we still haven’t seen Manning fully settle in and play a complete, consistent game.
It’s Week 6, and Manning still has no real identity at the quarterback position. So much of Saturday was an opportunity for him to show that he could keep things rolling after he dazzled against Sam Houston State following struggles against Ohio State and UTEP. But his first SEC win as the Longhorns’ full-time starter will have to wait, as Texas heads into another week trying to figure out what this offense is supposed to look like and what to expect from its quarterback. — Grace Raynor, college football writer
What now for Billy Napier?
Napier has been coaching for his job for most of the last two seasons.
He was practically gone, it seemed, when the Gators started 3-3 last year, his third in Gainesville.
It was after that Lagway became the starting quarterback as a freshman, and a strong finish with what looked like a solid roster convinced Florida administrators to run it back with Napier.
Three straight losses in September had some wondering if Napier would make it to October. The reality was that Florida was not itching to make an early move on Napier, but still, the heat was rising.
A victory against the preseason No. 1 team in the country in front of a sellout crowd at The Swamp certainly makes the rest of the season look a lot different.
Napier improved to 21-22 and, without question, had Gators fans fretting as Florida called an odd timeout late in the game when it should have been prioritizing killing the clock. That left Texas with a lot more time to pull off a comeback, but the Gators’ defense stepped up again.
The funny thing about facing a difficult schedule is that it gives a coach plenty of opportunity to change the trajectory of a season. Where Florida goes from here is anybody’s guess. The Gators have only lost one SEC game after being upset by USF and manhandled by Miami in nonconference play. The Gators go to No. 6 Texas A&M next week and then return home for Mississippi State.
It might sound crazy, but there is no reason Florida can’t be a factor in what’s looking like a wide-open SEC race. — Russo
Texas’ postseason hopes dwindling
Texas opened the season as the No. 1 team in the country with legitimate national championship aspirations. The buzz around Austin was palpable with Manning stepping into the starting quarterback role and the Longhorns looking to build off last season’s CFP berth. But six weeks into the season, the Longhorns are most likely going to need to win out and/or get some major help around them if they’re going to have a shot at the playoff.
No team has ever made the playoff with three losses, and the Longhorns are sitting at 3-2 with almost no margin to spare … while not playing well, either.
After the Week 1 loss to Ohio State, the Longhorns weren’t in panic mode, given the Buckeyes’ status as the defending champs and one of the best teams in the country. But Texas needed to prove it could take care of business in the SEC, and melting down against a Florida team that just lost to USF at home last month didn’t exactly do the trick Saturday.
The Longhorns have a manageable few weeks ahead against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry (if OU quarterback John Mateer can’t play), at Kentucky on Oct. 18 and at Mississippi State on Oct. 25 to round out the month. But Texas goes to Georgia in mid-November and closes with a hot Texas A&M team.
For as hyped as this team was in the preseason, it’s hard to imagine this version of the Longhorns competing for it all come January. — Raynor
Manning is not a 2026 NFL Draft prospect
With below-average offensive line play and a quarterback who is trying to figure out his passing rhythm and anticipation in real time, the result is Texas’ offense.
Young quarterbacks tend to be overly conservative, and we are reminded of Manning’s inexperience with every dropback. Against Florida, his lack of anticipation led to tardy decisions. And too often when he found the right read, he hurried his mechanics, which resulted in an inaccurate throw (or worse, an interception). It doesn’t help that the Gators consistently got pressure with only four rushers, and the Texas running game offered very little relief, which put an even heavier burden on the quarterback.
Manning’s best play of the day was his third-quarter touchdown toss. He was immediately forced off his spot (again, by a four-man rush), and he subtly shuffled to his left and found Wingo on the post for the touchdown pass. In the second half, Manning’s ability to keep plays alive with his legs was a major factor in Texas keeping it a one-possession game. While an inconsistent performance overall, there were several examples of progress to take away from Manning’s day.
Like with any college quarterback with single-digit career starts and an inconsistent supporting cast, any reaction to his play shouldn’t be an obituary. Is development guaranteed? Of course not. But how Manning looked in his first career SEC road start (Saturday against the Gators) will almost certainly look different when he makes his 20th career start. This is a quarterback figuring things out in the moment, which is why Manning shouldn’t be considered a 2026 NFL Draft prospect — he is a 2027 or 2028 NFL Draft prospect. — Dane Brugler, NFL Draft analyst
(Photo: Matt Pendleton / Imagn Images)
