Tony Thomas
Author
The No. 9 Texas Longhorns (3-1, 0-0) and the Florida Gators (1-3, 0-1) have played each other only four times in the history of these two storied football programs. Texas is coming off a 55-0 destruction of Sam Houston State, while Florida is coming off a 26-7 loss to in-state rival Miami.
The Longhorns beat the Gators last season in Austin. They haven’t traveled to The Swamp since 1940, a 26-0 win by Texas. Florida has scored only 24 points in the four previous meetings, including two scoreless affairs.
Date: Oct. 4, 2025
Time: 3:30 EST
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
T.V.: ESPN
Quarterback DJ Lagway has thrown more INTs (6) than touchdown passes (5). He is coming off back-to-back losses: five INTs in a road loss at LSU; 12 of 23 (52 percent), 61 yards, zero TDs and zero INTs in the loss to the Hurricanes. Now, for the third consecutive game, Lagway faces a dominating defense.
The leading rusher for the team is Jadan Baugh (289 yards), but he (and Florida) only has two rushing touchdowns.
The Gators defense is a bright spot, ranking in the Top 30 in the FBS in total defense (284.3 yards/game) and scoring defense (16 points/game).
QB Arch Manning is coming off a stellar performance against Sam Houston State. In the 55-0 win by the Longhorns, Manning completed 85.7 percent of his passes (18 of 21) for 309 yards and three TDs. In addition, he also added two rushing scores. Manning threw zero TDs against the Bearkats.
For the season, Manning has thrown for 888 yards, nine touchdowns and three INTs. He has completed 61.3 percent of his passes. In addition, Manning has rushed for five scores.
Manning’s perimeter targets are Ryan Wingo, who had four catches for 93 yards (23.25 yards/catch) and two touchdowns against Sam Houston State, and Parker Livingstone. Livingstone is the Longhorns’ leading receiver (232 yards), and he averages 21.09 yards per catch.
The Texas defense is elite. That unit has allowed just 7.8 points per game. They are a top-five defense in several categories, including:
Against Sam Houston State, the Longhorns logged five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. They held the Bearkats to 113 total yards and just 2-of-14 on third down conversions.
Michael Taafe and Liona Lefau are tied for the team lead with 25 tackles each.
Lagway needs to break out of his slump in a huge way and flip that touchdown-to-INT ratio inside of 60 minutes. Right now, Florida is staggering with a little rope-a-dope, and Texas is looking to throw the haymaker to knock out the Gators and drain The Swamp of all faith and confidence.
Manning and the Longhorns (-6.5-point favorites) need another offensive output like the one posted against the Bearkats. A win sets the tone for the SEC schedule that lies ahead. Final Score: Texas 35 – Florida 7
Tony Thomas
Author
The Aggies have not won in Tiger Stadium since 1994
Cody Slovensky
LSU Writer
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