DJ Lagway passed for 298 yards and two touchdowns and Jadan Baugh ran for 107 yards and another score as Florida held on for a 29-21 upset over No. 9 Texas on Saturday afternoon in a Southeastern Conference game in Gainesville, Fla.
Florida (2-3, 1-1 SEC) ruled the first half and took advantage of breakdowns in the Longhorns’ defense to snap a three-game losing streak and beat Texas for the first time in five all-time meetings.
Dallas Wilson hauled in a game-high six passes for 111 yards and both of Lagway’s TDs as Florida finished with a 457-341 edge in total yards.
Texas (3-2, 0-1 SEC) trailed by 15 points before quarterback Arch Manning captained a 69-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard TD run by Quintrevion Wisner with 3:20 to play to bring the Longhorns to within 29-21. Texas got the ball back with 55 seconds to play at its own 31but could not make magic happen.
Manning finished 16-of-29 passing for 263 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted on consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter and was sacked six times.
The Gators lit the scoreboard first, driving 84 yards on 13 plays capped by Baugh’s 5-yard TD run 7:02 into the first quarter. Trey Smack added a 34-yard field goal with 1 minute left in the quarter to push Florida’s lead to 10-0.
The Longhorns used a fumble by Florida’s Hayden Hansen and a 21-yard return by Anthony Hill to get jumpstarted. Texas moved 45 yards in four plays, with Manning’s 6-yard rollout pass to Wisner for a touchdown bringing the Longhorns to within three points.
But Florida was keen for the fight and marched 77 yards in 10 snaps before Lagway connected with Wilson for 13-yard TD pass that re-established the Gators’ 10-point lead.
Florida then stunned the Longhorns when Jack Bouwmeester’s punt was blocked by the Gators’ Taylor Spieto, with the ball rolling out of the end zone for a safety that made it 19-7 at halftime.
Smack added a 38-yard field goal with 5:37 to play in the third quarter to expand the Gators’ lead to 22-7. Texas answered with 2:43 to play in the third quarter as Manning hit Ryan Wingo for a 38-yard score that trimmed the margin to 22-14.
Wilson flashed his strength and power on a 55-yards TD catch in the third quarter which he hauled in Lagway’s short pass and shrugged off three Texas would-be tacklers on the way to the end zone while stoking the Florida lead to 29-14.
