Texas Longhorns' Offense Sputters Again in Ugly Loss to Florida Gators

The Texas Longhorns' offense looked like it had finally found its rhythm in a 55-0 win ove Sam Houston back on Sept. 20, but SEC play, which began Saturday against the Florida Gators after a bye week, would be the real test.

Well, they failed the test. The Longhorns once again looked largely flat and lifeless on both sides of the ball, but especially on offense, in a 29-21 loss at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Again, there's no shortage of blame to go around for this loss, from the offense to the defense to the coaching staff and so on. However, much of the blame will be directed at one person, fair or not: quarterback Arch Manning.

Arch Manning's Turnovers Doom Texas Longhorns

Oct 4, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws the ball under pressure from Florida Gators defensive end George Gumbs Jr. (34) during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Manning completed 16 of 29 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two crushing interceptions in the fourth quarter. Two of them came with the Longhorns trailing 29-14, and effectively killed any momentum they had while trying to come back.

Going back further, though, Manning and the offense failed to do much of anything early on, as the Longhorns had just 87 total yards at halftime. Their five first-half drives ended with three punts, one touchdown and the clock expiring after a possession where theye had nothing going.

To be fair to Manning, though, he had virtually no help from his offensive line and running backs. He was sacked six times (with the last one ending the game) and under pressure constantly, while the other running backs - Quintrevion Wisner and Christian Clark, combined for only 11 yards on nine carries. It was yet another sloppy performance for a unit that just can't seem to get going this season.

That said, the defense also struggled throughout the day, giving up 457 yards to a Gators team that had just 141 in its last game against Miami on Sept. 20. Gators quarterback DJ Lagway completed 21 of 28 passes for 298 yards, two touchdowns (both to Dallas Wilson) and one interception in easily his best game against FBS competition this season. Meanwhile, Jadan Baugh tore the Longhorns up on the ground, rushing for 107 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.

Even the special teams unit isn't blameless, as in the second quarter, the Gators rushed through and blocked a punt into the back of the end zone for a safety.

With the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma coming up next week, the Longhorns have a lot of work to do and not much time to do it.