Grading the Longhorns following their dominating 49-17 win over the Florida Gators

The Texas Longhorns welcomed a struggling Florida team to Austin on Saturday and did what a top 5 team should do to an unranked opponent. The 49-17 victory over the Gators was decisive but it does not illustrate just how dominant the Longhorns were. The score was 35-0 at halftime and Florida had no answers for Steve Sarkisian’s Texas offense. Let’s get into the grades following the Longhorns’ most impressive SEC win to-date.

Offense: A

Quarterback Quinn Ewers had his best game this season since the Michigan game in Week 2. Ewers played just one drive in the second half before handing the reigns to backup Arch Manning. His numbers through essentially two quarters against Florida were 19/27 for 333 yards and 5 touchdowns. The run game struggled with the starters for most of the day but it did not matter. Saturday was an example of Sarkisian using different ways to substitute for an average run game. One example was a 44 yard pickup on a jet sweep. Moving forward, look for Sarkisian to use wide receivers in the screen game or more jet sweeps if the traditional run game cannot get going.

Florida isn’t Georgia on the defensive line by any means but the Gators still have plenty of talent. The Texas offensive line allowed only one sack which is a massive step in the right direction. Possibly the biggest factor in determining if Texas hits their team goals will be if the Texas offensive line can keep Ewers clean or not. Texas will face better defensive lines than Florida but the offensive line did their job Saturday. Ewers had time and you saw wide receivers and tight ends running wide open while the offensive line gave him time. The Texas wide receivers are too good for defenses to cover for a long period of time.

Defense: A

The Longhorn defense had another great game on Saturday. The defense has been by far the best and most consistent unit on this team. When most of the first team defense left the game, it was 42-3. The defense forced three turnovers, which will help Texas win the turnover battle most weeks regardless of what the Texas offense does. If you win the turnover battle, you have a great chance to win the football game regardless of what else happens.

The Longhorns only got one sack against Florida but the pressure was there most of the day. EDGE Trey Moore continued his strong performance from Vanderbilt into the Florida game. Moore had 2 TFL’s and a recovered fumble that set up the Longhorns’ second touchdown. Moore was not the only standout, as senior defensive tackle Alfred Collins had two tipped passes that resulted in interceptions for the Longhorn defense. Collins has quietly had a very good year. It does not always show in the box score but Collins has been making plays all season.

Special Teams: C

The special teams unit was once again average this week. Kicker Bert Auburn didn’t see much action beyond his seven extra points. The one field goal attempt he did have, he missed. It was from 51 yards which is far from a sure thing, but Auburn’s inconsistency is concerning. He is just 3-6 from 40 yards or more including 0-1 from 50 yards or more. Texas will likely need Auburn to hit a big kick at some point this year, and it’s hard to have a lot of confidence in him doing so as of now.

Punter Michael Kern had three punts and averaged just over 38 yards a punt. Kern did get one inside the 20 this week. The bottom line with special teams is this year they have been a net negative, which cannot happen when Texas faces better competition. The special teams play does not need to win them games, but they certainly cannot be the losing factor in games either.