Tramell Jones Jr. rallies Florida past No. 7 Texas, 27-24

Tramell Jones Jr. threw two touchdown passes to Lacota Dippre in his first career start, and Florida erased a 14-point deficit to beat No. 7 Texas 27-24 Saturday in Austin. The Gators scored 24 consecutive points, then recovered an Arch Manning fumble with just over two minutes left to protect the upset.

Florida had arrived with two straight losses and an offense that had struggled against Missouri and South Carolina. Jones gave the Gators a steady afternoon without an interception: 22 completions in 35 attempts for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Jadan Baugh carried 25 times for 91 yards, including the 11-yard fourth-quarter touchdown that put Florida ahead 27-17.

Texas had supplied most of the early fireworks. Raleek Brown ran 32 yards for a touchdown on the Longhorns' opening scoring drive, and Grant Spetic added a 38-yard field goal. After Florida got on the board, Ryan Niblett returned a punt 63 yards for a touchdown. Texas led 17-3 with 11:27 remaining in the second quarter.

The Gators began pulling that lead apart before halftime. Jones found Dippre for a 7-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left in the second quarter. The pair connected again from 8 yards out midway through the third, bringing Florida level at 17.

That second touchdown completed a 14-point run across halftime. Florida kept possession and kept Texas working: the Gators finished with 38:11 of possession to the Longhorns' 21:49, converted eight of 19 third downs and made both of their fourth-down attempts. Texas converted only two of 10 third downs.

Peter Durkin's 28-yard field goal gave Florida its first lead with 10:40 left. Baugh then extended it on the 11-yard run, capping the stretch of 24 unanswered points. Florida's ground game produced 158 yards, enough to keep Jones from having to chase a comeback entirely through the air.

Manning answered with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Cam Coleman, cutting the margin to three with 4:21 remaining. Texas forced a punt and got the ball back near midfield, with time to win. Myles Graham sacked Manning, however, and Kamari Clark recovered the fumble at the Texas 39 with 2:03 left. Jones later ran nine yards for a first down, allowing Florida to kneel out the finish.

Manning completed 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown. The Longhorns finished with 272 total yards, compared with Florida's 313. Their late fumble was the game's only turnover.

Florida improved to 5-2. Texas dropped to 4-2, its second straight three-point loss after Oklahoma won the Red River Rivalry 27-24 the previous Saturday. Florida's next game is against Georgia.