Following a bye week, the Longhorns had an extra week of preparation following their close win against Vanderbilt. On Saturday, the Florida Gators rolled into Austin, TX, seriously riddled by injury at several positions. As great teams do, the Longhorns sent a message to the other sideline early, sending an undermanned Florida home in a lopsided 49-17 victory.
This week, Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns offense played angry. In fact, the junior quarterback threw for a whopping 297 yards and four touchdowns in the first half alone. Along with Ewers, it also felt like Steve Sarkisian was extra dialed in on Saturday. Texas’ play calls were all over the place, in a good way, against the Gators. There were deep pass opportunities for Ewers, trickery for the wide receivers, and open space for the running backs. By the end of the half, Texas led Florida 35-0.
Along with a potent offense, the Longhorn defense continues to be the team’s bread and butter. Against a walk-on quarterback in Florida’s Aidan Warner, the Longhorn defense was once again able to pin their ear’s back. Creating three turnovers, defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense never allowed the Gator offense to settle down. Additionally, the Texas offense was able to capitalize on the turnover advantage, producing touchdown drives off of turnovers in the first half.
Unfortunately for Florida, the Gators roster has been decimated by injuries all season. Earlier in the year, starting quarterback Graham Mertz suffered a season-ending ACL injury against Tennessee. Last weekend, freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, a former five-star recruit, suffered a hamstring injury against the Georgia Bulldogs and had to be carted off of the field. And, while Lagway was a game-time decision on Saturday against the Longhorns, it was always going to be a long shot that he would be ready to play. In addition to the quarterback room, Florida has also suffered serious blows to the running back and wide receiver groups. Needless to say, the Florida roster is banged up.
However, Saturday’s game was big for the Longhorns in the fact that they did not play to the level of their competition. Steve Sarkisian’s team treated the Gators like the 4-4 team that they were entering today’s game. Following a nail-biting win against Vanderbilt, Quinn Ewers and the offense proved that they are capable of moving the ball downfield. Maybe more importantly, Saturday’s win over Florida should serve as a confidence-builder following several weeks of inconsistent play.
Next weekend, the Longhorns will travel to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 A.M. (CT) in a game that will air on ABC.
