Florida Upsets Texas, Ending Longhorns’ Hopes of Recovery
This year’s Florida football season started off promisingly, as they achieved a 4-0 record after defeating then-No. 4 Ole Miss in Week 4. However, things took a turn when they lost their next two games.
Heading into Saturday’s matchup against Texas—despite being on a losing streak—the Gators managed to pull off a surprising upset, winning 30-27 after a late sack-fumble by Texas quarterback Arch Manning. Historically, Texas has struggled against Florida, having lost to them 29-21 in October 2025. That particular Florida team, by the way, ended their season with a disappointing 4-8 record.
The last eight days have been tough for the Longhorns, especially coming off a major defeat to Oklahoma that knocked them out of the No. 1 ranking. After two straight losses to teams that haven’t performed well in the SEC, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian suggested he needs to reconsider various aspects of the team to get them back to winning.
Sarkisian was frank about the situation, stating, “Everything’s going to be evaluated.” He didn’t rule out the possibility of making changes at quarterback, feeling it was necessary to reflect deeply on the team’s performance. “It’s easy for me to say, ‘Hey, Arch was the problem today.’ But was Arch perfect? No. No one on offense was,” he noted.
During the game, Sarkisian felt the only period of solid play from Texas was in the opening quarter. He expressed his disappointment, saying, “We didn’t play very good football today, outside about the first quarter. We kind of bled out.” Texas’s offensive struggles were evident, as they only managed 50 snaps throughout the game—the lowest under Sarkisian. Manning finished with 173 yards passing and one touchdown but was sacked five times.
Before this setback, Texas had a remarkable streak, defeating 22 consecutive unranked opponents at home. Now, they’ve unfortunately become just the third team since 1936 to be ranked No. 1 only to lose back-to-back games against unranked rivals, according to ESPN Research.
Sarkisian was candid about the team’s recent form, admitting, “We’re not playing very good football right now. It’s gonna be a long night.” As he also oversees the offensive playcalls, it’s likely he will need to evaluate his strategies moving forward. “I don’t know how many times I need to say it,” he said, emphasizing the importance of reviewing every aspect of the offensive game plan.
Looking ahead, Texas will host Ole Miss next Saturday, hoping to turn things around.
