FINAL: No. 5 Texas 49, Florida 17

Saturday, November 9

Austin, Texas

12 PM

Florida Gators

4-5 , 2-4

Texas

8-1 , 4-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Florida

Texas

Chris Harry's Quick Slant presented by Ticketmaster

FINAL: No. 5 Texas 49, Florida 17

Saturday, November 9, 2024 | Football, Chris Harry

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

No. 5 TEXAS 49, FLORIDA 17

What Happened

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Florida football team could have waited another 84 years for its first game against Texas.

UT quarterback Quinn Ewers threw for 333 yards and five touchdowns over a little more than two quarters, as the fifth-ranked Longhorns overwhelmed the injury-ravaged Gators 49-17 in their Southeastern Conference game Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Ewers completed 19 of his 29 attempts, with scoring strikes of 29, 22, 50, 32 and 34 before checking out of the game after UT's first possession of the second half and Texas leading 42-0.

The Gators, with third-string walk-on quarterback Aidan Warner on for injured freshman DJ Lagway, didn't get on the board until midway through the third quarter. First, Coach Billy Napier sent Trey Smack in to kick a 23-yard field goal on fourth-and-goal from the UT 5 with 7:03 to play to make it 42-3, thus extending the NCAA record of 457 games (dating to 1988) without a shutout. After the UF defense greeted heralded backup quarterback Arch Manning with a three-and-out, Warner drove the offense 56 yards in nine plays, with freshman tailback Jadan Baugh putting Florida in the end for the first time with a 2-yard run to make it 42-10.

Warner, the redshirt freshman transfer from Yale who took over for Lagway in the second quarter of last week's loss against No. 2 Georgia, finished 12 of 25 for 132 and two interceptions. The Gators, who were without a slew of offensive skill position players due to injury, managed 329 yards of total offense and turned the ball over three times. They played their best after Texas emptied its bench, with Baugh and junior Ja'Kobi Jackson capping drives with TDs after the game was out of hand.

The Longhorns averaged 8.8 yards per play and cranked out 562 yards of total offense, the first 450 with Ewers under center. Tailback Jaydon Blue rushed 16 times for 106 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown dash. Ewers' five TDs went to four different players, with wideout Matthew Golden finishing with three catches for 64 yards and two scores.

Texas got the ball first and opened the game by driving to the Florida 32, but missed a 51-yard field goal attempt. Florida's first two possessions ended with a punt and fumble, respectively, with the Longhorns mounting marches of 85 yards and 22 yards to go up 14-0 and never looking back.

The Gators had a chance to get on the scoreboard after going down those two scores, but Smack missed a 30-yard field goal. After back-to-back punts, Texas scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions (and five of the next six), taking a 35-0 lead at halftime and coasting home.

The game marked just the fourth meeting between Florida and Texas, and the first since 1940, a 26-0 victory in Gainesville. The Longhorns, who joined the SEC this season, now lead the all-time series 0-3-1.

Walk-on quarterback **Aidan Warner** (16) and the Gators had a long Saturday against the No. 5 Longhorns.

What It Means

Even UF fans wearing orange-and-blue goggles knew an 0-2 start to UF's November paddle-wheel of ranked opponents was a very real possibility, especially with a walk-on, third-team quarterback on the road. Those same fans will keep their fingers crossed the Gators will be healthier for their upcoming back-to-back home games.

In the Spotlight

It'll be beaming brightly on Lagway, specifically his availability, all next week.

Staggering Statistic

The 32-point margin of defeat was the largest for a Florida team since a 55-20 loss to Oklahoma in the 2020 Cotton Bowl, as well as the worst in SEC play since a 31-3 loss at Alabama in 2005. The 35-point margin at halftime was the largest since the Gators trailed 35-10 against Nebraska at intermission of the 1996 Fiesta Bowl national-championship game. That one, of course, ended with a 62-24 Cornhuskers victory.

Up Next

Florida (4-5, 2-4) will be back home Nov. 16 for a 3:30 p.m. date against 14th-ranked LSU (6-2, 3-1). The Tigers have a monster Saturday night showdown against No. 11 Alabama, a game that likely will eliminate the losing team from the College Football Playoff picture. LSU has defeated the Gators five straight and six of the previous seven, dating to the 2017 season.