Grading Texas Longhorns Position Groups in Ugly Loss To Florida Gators

The Texas Longhorns dropped their second game of the season and their conference-opening matchup in disappointing fashion after a struggle-filled 29-21 loss to the Florida Gators on the road in Gainesville.

Texas, now needing to get back on track, will have its get-right game against one of its arch rivals as the Longhorns gear up for the Red River Rivalry against the Oklahoma Sooners on Oct. 11.

With one last look at the Longhorns' rough performance against the Gators, here are this week's position group grades.

Grading the Position Groups

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws the ball in the pocket against the Florida Gators during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Quarterback: B

To say the loss to the Gators is coming on the shoulders of the quarterback Arch Manning would be ridiculous to say, while the young quarterback did have a pair of turnovers, throwing two interceptions in the fourth quarter.

Manning stood in the pocket and delivered high-level completions, as he went 16 of 29 passing for 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns while facing immense pressure from the Gators' defensive line, which was in Manning's face all game, recording 35 quarterback pressures and 10 quarterback hits on 42 drop-backs.

Running Back: D

Saturday was a rough showing for the Longhorns' rushing attack that barely amassed over 50 yards rushing, with Manning once again being the leading runner with 37 yards. Texas's running back got a boost with running back Quintrevion Wisner returning for the first time since Week 1, after Wisner did not have the performance many expected, rushing for 11 yards on 8 carries, averaging a tough 1.4 yards per carry.

Aside from Wisner, the other running backs did not become a factor in the matchup, with Ryan Niblett having two carries for four yards and Christian Clark having a single carry for no gain. Interestingly, the Longhorns' running backs with the most yards on the season in Jerrick Gibson and James Simon, did not receive a single carry.

Pass-Catchers: B

While the rushing attack continues to struggle, the Longhorns' passing game seems to have finally been ironed out from their rough outings at the start of the season, as the Longhorns had eight different players record a reception.

Manning and his connection with wide receiver Ryan Wingo continue to improve as the duo connected on another long touchdown, this time for a 38-yard touchdown, splitting the Gators' secondary right down the middle of the field.

Offensive Line: F

One of the biggest questions heading into the season for Texas was their rebuilt offensive line, which replaced four out of five starters from a year ago, and while through the first four games of the season, the question was mostly answered. However, after the unit's performance against Florida, the offensive line is back to being a pressing question for the Longhorns.

The Gators managed to disrupt the entire afternoon for the Longhorns' offense. Getting Manning on the ground numerous times, sacking the Longhorns quarterback six times, while making Texas's rushing game a non-factor, limiting it to just 52 yards.

The Defense: D

For the first time all season, the Longhorns' defensive side of the ball did not look like one of the best units in all of college football, as the Gators nearly eclipsed the points allowed by the Texas defense all season in just one game. The Longhorns had allowed a combined 31 points through four games, but allowed 29 against the Gators.

Texas's defense could not stop the Florida offense, Saturday afternoon, as the Gators accumulated over 450 yards of total offense with Gator quarterback DJ Lagway having his best performance of the season, going 21 of 28 passing for 298 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Longhorns' usual stout run defense allowed over 150 yards on the ground.

Special Teams: C

Also, a first for Texas were miscues on special teams, the biggest being punter Jack Bouwmeester having one of his punts blocked that rolled into the back of the end zone for a safety. And for the first time through the season, Bouwmeester did not have a punt pinning the opposing team inside the 20-yard line as the Longhorns struggled to cover the punts down the field.