Florida stuns No. 7 Texas as Gators silence critics and revive CFP hopes

AUSTIN, Texas — Florida stars Jadan Baugh and Myles Graham heard what people were saying about them heading to Texas.

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The Gators hadn’t arrived. Jon Sumrall’s team was going nowhere.

But Saturday’s 27-24 win against the No. 7 Longhorns behind first-time starting quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. snapped a two-game losing streak, put the Gators (5-2, 3-2 SEC) back on track and revived their College Football Playoff hopes.

“I feel like we stepped up today, and we were ready for the moment,” Baugh said.

Baugh, who scored the game-winning touchdown on an 11-yard run to cap a gritty 91-yard day, was shut down during double-digit losses to Missouri and South Carolina.

Meanwhile, Graham, forced a fumble of Texas star Arch Manning, delivering a pivotal play for a Florida defense ranked last in the SEC entering the day.

The praise that followed Florida’s win against then-No. 4 Ole Miss and 4-0 start had turned into a cacophony of criticism. The Gators are now eager to build on the program’s first road win against a Top 10 team since a 2012 win at Florida State.

“Two weeks ago, they weren’t saying anything good about us,” Baugh said. “They were just saying, ‘Oh you’re washed.’ We definitely see it, but I just don’t look at it. I feel like it drives me a lot more.

“I can’t wait to do it again.”

Knowing how his team handled its September success, Sumrall isn’t getting ahead of himself with an Oct. 31 trip to Atlanta to face Georgia looming after a bye week.

The Gators played their most complete game against the Longhorns (4-2, 1-2), saw Jones step in for injured starter Aaron Philo and shine, and watched a resurgent defense sack Manning five times and make six more stops behind the Longhorns’ line of scrimmage.

Still, plenty concerned Sumrall after Florida’s biggest win of his first season.

“Everybody around Gainesville was patting our guys in the back telling them how good they were, and I’m like, guys, we suck,” Sumrall said. “We still suck. We just suck less. And so we have to figure out to suck less each week. We’re not like a complete team yet.

“So it does nothing for us. What it does for us, it gets us another win.”

Early on, the Gators appeared headed for a long day in Austin.

Manning led the Longhorns 75 yards on seven plays for a 7-0 lead on Raleek Brown’s 32-yard run. Texas went 60 yards after a Florida three-and-out before settling for a 38-yard field goal by Gianni Spetic.

A 45-yard field goal Patrick Durkin cut the lead to 10-3. After another Gators’ three-and-out, Ryan Niblett returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown to push the Longhorns’ advantage to 17-7.

Florida responded, rather than let Texas pull away, as the Gators had when they fell behind against Missouri and South Carolina.

“Our guys fought today,” Sumrall said. “And we happened to win the game, too, which is huge. I want us to always win, but how you play the game matters as much to me. And we today showed a lot of character, a lot of growth.”

Jones came of age before halftime, becoming the first Florida quarterback to earn his first win on the road since Jesse Palmer in 1997 at Auburn.

With the first half winding down, Jones’ 17-yard completion to Dallas Wilson on fourth-and-12 from the Texas 36 saved the day for Florida and provided the 19-year-old a shot of confidence.

“It gave the team a spark, and that’s what we needed,” Jones said.

Jones’ 14-yard run on the ensuing play and a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Lacota Dippre two snaps later cut the Longhorns’ lead to 17-10 at halftime.

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After receiving the second-half kickoff, Jones then marched the Gators 69 yards to tie the game at 17-17. On the 15-play drive, he was 5-of-5 on third down — culminating with an 8-yard touchdown to Dippre with Texas nose tackle Hero Kanu in Jones’ face.

“Even when he didn’t make some throws he needed to make, he kept battling and kept fighting, and that’s when good things happen,” Sumrall said.

Jones led a Gators’ youth movement that also featured edge rusher LJ McCray and linebacker Ty Jackson joining in.

McCray, a junior, recorded 2.5 tackles for loss, including 1.5 sacks, tying his career total.

“It meant a lot to me,” he said. “Not only just making the plays, but I saw it motivated my brothers. Everybody started playing harder.”

Jackson, a sophomore reserve, had 1.5 tackles for loss, including a key stop on fourth-and-1 that gave Florida the ball with 2:44 remaining before halftime.

“He’s just a dog. He’s a freak athlete,” Graham said. “That’s somebody who can change the game.”

Graham, who finished with a team-leading seven stops, made the defensive play of the game for a unit that allowed just 272 yards after giving up an average of 393 yards through six games.

Manning had a chance to be a hero as he had been earlier the season against Ohio State.

With Florida leading 27-17 after Baugh’s touchdown run, Manning’s 62-yard completion to freshman Emmett Mosley V on fourth-and-6 was followed by a 9-yard touchdown pass to Cam Coleman with 4:21 remaining. Florida’s lead was cut to 27-24.

But on Texas’ next possession, Graham forced Manning to fumble, and nickelback Kanye Clark recovered at the Texas 39 with 1:58 remaining.

The miscue marked another costly late turnover for Manning, who a week earlier threw two fourth-quarter interceptions during a 27-24 loss for then No. 1-Texas to unranked rival Oklahoma.

On Saturday, the Gators entered as a 10.5-point underdog, but delivered a statement win and silenced their critics.

“The last two weeks we got knocked down, we didn’t play how we want to,” Graham said. “We had a chance to respond, and that’s what we did — just kept fighting no matter what.”

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Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]