AUSTIN, Texas — Three weeks ago, the Texas-Florida matchup looked like a college football blockbuster.
Texas was No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll behind quarterback Arch Manning. The Gators were storming up the rankings behind first-year coach Jon Sumrall and reigniting the chomp in the Swamp.
Those were good times. Both teams now limp into Saturday’s Southeastern Conference matchup in Austin with bruised bodies and egos, carrying a whiff of desperation for a win to keep the season from unraveling.
The seventh-ranked Longhorns (4-1, 1-1 SEC) are back home after a deflating loss to unranked archrival Oklahoma at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, where Manning threw a pair of costly fourth-quarter interceptions. The Gators (4-2, 2-2) are probably glad to hit the road after a getting run out of the Swamp last week by South Carolina.
Texas was shaken by the loss, but the Longhorns are still in the hunt for the SEC championship and a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Manning said this week he’s looking forward to a rematch with the Gators, who handed Texas a humbling defeat last year in Gainesville. That loss that played a big role in the Longhorns not reaching the CFP after back-to-back appearances in the semifinals.
“Obviously a new coach (at Florida), and they have some new players, but it left a bad taste in my mouth,” Manning said.
The Gators sacked Manning six times last season, and pass protection was a problem for Texas all year. Manning said his protection is much improved in his second year as the starter, but he has still been sacked eight times over the past two games. Manning blames himself for some of that.
“I haven’t helped them out (by) getting the ball out (quicker),” he said. “I’ve been taking some unnecessary sacks.”
The Longhorns aren’t scaring anyone on offense, and sixth-year head coach Steve Sarkisian has come under fire for his play calling on that side of the ball. Texas ranks 12th in the 16-team SEC in total offense at 379 yards per game.
It’s not just the offense, though, as special teams have been a huge problem of late for the Longhorns. In the past two weeks, Texas gave up its first punt return touchdown since 2013 and its first punt block for a touchdown since 2009, but Sarkisian has said he won’t take special teams coaching duties away from assistant Jeff Banks.
The Gators looked great last month when they blasted Ole Miss, which was ranked fourth at the time. But those home cheers turned into some boos in last week’s 38-19 loss to South Carolina. The defeat exposed just how far a program that ruled the SEC two decades ago still has to go.
“We’re a work in progress,” Sumrall said. “Sometimes our progress is dysfunctional.”
As much trouble as the Texas offense has dealt with, the Gators’ defensive struggles have been even worse. Florida ranks last in the SEC in total defense and had more than 20 missed tackles last week against South Carolina.
Florida starting quarterback Aaron Philo was listed as questionable on Thursday’s SEC availability report because of a shoulder injury that limited his practice time. If he doesn’t play, sophomore Trammel Jones would make his first career start. The Gators are hopeful they will have star receiver Vernell Brown III after he missed the past two games with a knee injury.