Image Credit: UAA
Dominant for three quarters behind a historic offensive performance and ferocious defense, the Florida Gators appeared on their way to a complete victory over the No. 9 Texas Longhorns. While Florida did ultimately pick up the betting-line upset, its 29-21 win on Saturday afternoon at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was anything but undoubted.
The Gators led by 15 points with 5:15 to play only for a barrage of mistakes — inside and outside the lines — to create opportunities that the Longhorns nearly utilized to pull off a shocking comeback. In the end, Florida won its first FBS and Power Four game of the season, beating Texas for the first time in five meetings dating back to 1924.
Wide receiver Dallas Wilson, making his debut with the Gators after missing the first five weeks of the season rehabbing an injury, registered team-highs of six receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns, becoming first freshman wideout in program history to score a TD in his debut. His receptions and yards receiving were both most by a Gators pass catcher playing his first game with his 111 yards the most by any freshman receiver in a game since 2015 (Antonio Callaway).
“He’s a big, physical player. He’s got unique play strength. Big frame. Just a total creature from a testing perspective. And he has a competitive spirit that is second to none,” head coach Billy Napier said. “His energy was a spark this week in practice.”
Napier, despite making multiple miscues down the stretch, won his third game against a top 10 team since taking over the Florida program. His pupil, sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway, completed 21 of 28 passes for 298 yards with two touchdowns, delivering his first game with 250+ yards and two scores against an FBS opponent while wearing orange and blue.
The Gators made significant plays elsewhere, too. On special teams, they registered their first punt block in 12 years and first safety in two years, while on defense, they compiled six sacks, eight quarterback hurries and two interceptions. Florida only had three sacks, 14 hurries and two picks in its first four games, combined.
“That’s the football team I thought we had in the very beginning [of the season],” Napier said after the win.
The singular name catching buzz six months ago after the 2025 Orange & Blue Game was that of Wilson. Having set program records with 10 receptions, 195 yards receiving and two TDs in the spring showcase, it was clear that the Gators had a special talent on their hands. That’s why an offseason injury that derailed the start to his career was seen as such a detriment to an offense that entered the campaign with a bevy of other talented weapons at its disposal.
Wilson lived up to his pedigree — and then some — on Saturday. It was not just the gaudy numbers he posted but the specific routes he ran and plays he made that particularly impressed. He flashed in a way that screamed “NFL wide receiver,” his performance reminding of what Jabbar Gaffney put on film game after game under Steve Spurrier in 2000.
No singular play was more impressive than Wilson debilitating the cornerback covering him, spinning out of a would-be tackler and breaking through another effort at the goal line while tightroping the sideline on the way to a 55-yard score that ultimately served as the difference in the game.
Simply having a weapon like Wilson on the field at all times should open up the rest of the offense for Lagway and compatriots like classmate Vernell Brown III and redshirt sophomore Aidan Mizell.
When Only Gators named and tweeted about “The Guarantee” stated by Lagway following the Miami game, the second-year signal caller was largely mocked by fans in a series of distasteful comments directed toward a player simply trying to do the best for his team following a difficult offseason. Lagway had not played up to snuff through the first four games, calling into question that offseason plan, but with two additional weeks of practice under his belt, Lagway on Saturday looked largely like the player fans and coaches expected in Week 1.
He was efficient and accurate (21 of 28), effective (298 yards) and smart with the football, taking moderate risks while taking what the defense offered. Lagway made his best throws of the season in this game, including a back-shoulder throw only Wilson could grab for 18 yards and a tremendous touch pass to redshirt senior WR J. Michael Sturdivant on a crucial down.
One game after going 0 of 13 on third down, Lagway engineered an offense that went 7 of 14 and picked up 22 first downs in the game — three times as many as it did against Miami. It was the exact type of performance Florida supporters believed they were promised given the promise he showed as a true freshman, and it was the type of building-block game that should benefit Lagway as he gets even more comfortable with his full complement of playmakers. (Lagway did throw an interception in the game, but it was a ball that fluttered in the air as his arm was hit upon release.)
“DJ’s speaking to his teammates indirectly, in my opinion,” Napier said of “The Guarantee” from Lagway two weeks ago. “There’s a sincerity to this kid. He chose the University of Florida. He’s all in. He’s on a mission to do special things here, and he’s committed to that. There’s a certain level of pride there.
“This kid has been through the gauntlet this offseason. There will be a book written about this set of circumstances. The kid is tough, he has character. He is loyal — sometimes to a fault — but he works like no one else.”
Lagway further explained his mindset: “Its just about the work. I kind of demanded that from the guys early on, especially during the bye week. … We’re still trying to get this thing going. We’ve still got a lot of things we got to clean up offensively, defensively.”
The punt block for a safety executed by redshirt senior WR Taylor Spierto was a massive momentum play in the first half, and senior kicker Trey Smack knocking in field goals from 34 and 38 yards created eight total points that served as the game’s margin. Yet while those plays were difference makers, special teams left a lot to be desired through the rest of the contest.
Brown misplayed a pooched kickoff that led to Florida starting its final drive on its own 5-yard line, while redshirt senior punter Tommy Doman did not inspire confidence with three weak punts down the stretch that failed to push Texas as far back as needed that way UF could ice the game. A few yards here or there can be difference makers, and the Gators were not efficient enough grabbing ground on these plays.
Conversely, the defensive pressure was apparent all game. Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning was under duress from the opening whistle as defensive coordinator Ron Roberts ensured his team was attacking and aggressive, throwing blitzes at Manning from a wide variety of spots.
Where the defense struggled with consistency was on the back end. Losing two secondary starters over the last couple weeks, an expected strength for the Gators has quickly become a work in progress — one that nearly sank their chances and allowed a comeback.
For better or worse — any independent evaluator would suggest it’s mostly been “worse” to this point — Napier is in firm control of the ship (specifically the offense) and not planning to loosen his reigns anytime soon.
Still, it looked as if something had changed on Saturday’s opening drive. Napier ran sophomore running back sensation Jadan Baugh eight times on a 13-play, 84-yard TD drive that melted nearly 7 minutes off the clock. He ran plays out of a variety of personnel groupings that had Texas second guessing itself. Lagway hit four different receivers, including his talented classmates, and went 3 of 3 on third down.
It was the type of offense Florida should be running with these players, and it mostly remained that way on a 10-play, 64-yard field goal drive that followed, boosting the hosts into a 10-0 lead as UF had more first downs (10) and third-down conversions (four) in one quarter against UT than the entire UM game.
And then … it all slowed down. Napier went away from Baugh — not just for one drive but five straight. This was perhaps part of the plan to limit his carries as Baugh did tote the rock 27 times with three additional receptions, the 30 total touches serving as eight more than his prior career high. (Redshirt senior RB Ja’Kobi Jackson was out injured.) Still, as the Gators were mounting a lead, not having Baugh in the game for such an extended stretch limited their effectiveness.
Napier also reverted to heavily relying on 12 personnel after going up 15 points. Forcing two tight ends on the field every play, it limited Florida’s offensive explosiveness, which particularly hurt when redshirt junior tight end Hayden Hansen fumbled — leading to a Texas TD — and the Gators struggled to move the ball and run clock in the fourth quarter.
Some of Napier’s specific play calls remained head-scratchers, particularly a slow-developing run to the short side of the field against nine men in the box on third-and-3 early in the fourth quarter. This coming off a potentially game-changing interception of Manning by junior safety Jordan Castell. Another was the play that resulted in the Lagway interception, a first-down deep throw immediately after senior defensive back Devin Moore had just picked off Manning a second time.
There was also a controversial sequence in the final stages — pressed by ESPN commentators — about Napier calling a timeout after his player lost a helmet in what was believed to be a 10-second runoff scenario. He ultimately made a perfectly acceptable decision to that end (see below), but understandable consternation existed that Florida had allowed Texas to score so fast on the prior possession and maintain so much time at the end of the game while unable to pick up a simple first down starting with a second-and-4 down and distance. (UT went 69 yards in five plays across 90 seconds then needed 69 more yards plus a 2-point conversion in the remaining 54 seconds.)
Speaking of mistakes that nearly sunk Florida’s chances, a clean game turned into an ugly one from a yellow-flag standpoint late in the contest. Whereas it was Texas shooting itself in the foot time and again early in the contest, UF basically tried to one up the visitors down the stretch. The Gators committed false start on third-and-3 with a chance to put the game away inside 5 minutes. They also delivered illegal hands to the face on a 26-yard completion from the ‘Horns’ backup quarterback on the game’s final drive, giving UT 41 yards on a single play.
Florida beat Texas for the first time in five meetings dating back to 1924 (1-3-1) … the Gators improved to 28-27-2 all-time in The Swamp against top 10 teams, 8-3 since 2012 … Florida’s defense has forced turnovers in 15 of the last 17 games with multiple takeaways in 13 of those contests … the Gators have allowed 21 points or fewer in eight of the last nine games … Florida has only allowed eight touchdowns in five games … UF under Napier is 17-6 at home, 18-2 when leading after the third quarter, 17-6 when leading at halftime, 18-8 when scoring first and 17-5 when rushing for at least 150 yards … the Gators under Napier are now 5-16 against AP Top 25 teams, 4-11 over the last three seasons … Florida is 11-24 against ranked opponents and 7-14 against top 10 teams since 2018 … the Gators have scored in 466 consecutive games, an NCAA record
It was a significant victory for Florida, no doubt, but it must be viewed in context. Texas had not played a Power Four opponent since Week 1, and UF entered the game averaging 11 points in its prior three contests. The Gators had a significant homefield advantage and still nearly blew the game in the final stages due to a bevy of miscues. The Longhorns were also ranked in the top 10 nationally despite not beating any team of value this season. Whether that’s a real ranking or still Texas leaning on preseason expectations will not be determined until the season concludes.
Florida undoubtedly upped its level of play offensively, and while the defense was attacking, lapses in the injured secondary were apparent and consistent. There were multiple special teams mistakes despite the blocked punt for a safety, and Napier took a game that should have been an easy win yet gave the visitors more opportunities than they deserved.
The Gators deserve their flowers for coming out of the off week motivated and productive. They will need to keep up this level of play — really, improve upon it — given the murderer’s row of a schedule that awaits.
Florida immediately hits the road to face its fourth straight top 10 opponent — third on the road — when it visits No. 6 Texas A&M next Saturday. All three of its road games in this stretch will be played at night whereas Saturday’s showdown was played in the afternoon.
The Aggies have played the Gators more than any other traditional SEC East team since joining the league in 2012. Florida is 3-4 all-time against Texas A&M, 2-3 since 2012 but 2-1 in College Station, Texas.
OnlyGators.com will update this story with additional information, notes and quotes from the game.
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