AUSTIN, Texas — Florida’s upset win at No. 7 Texas propelled the Gators back into the AP Top 25 at No. 20, a week after Jon Sumrall’s team fell out of the rankings following a homecoming loss to South Carolina.
A 10.5-point underdog Saturday, the Gators overcame a deficits of 10-0 and 17-3 behind first-time starting quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. and a resurgent defense that sacked Longhorns’ star Arch Manning five times and held the Longhorns to 272 yards in a 27-24 victory.
Florida (5-2, 3-2 SEC) climbed to No. 8 in the AP Top 25 after routing Ole Miss 52-28 on Sept. 26 in the Swamp, earning its highest ranking since the 2020 season.
The Gators promptly lost 45-17 at Missouri, dropping them to No. 16, before suffering a 38-19 loss against struggling South Carolina, ending the Gamecocks’ eight-game SEC losing streak.
Florida responded with its first road win against a top 10-team since 2012 at Florida State, while Jones became the first Gators’ quarterback to pick up his first win on the road since Jesse Palmer in 1997 at Auburn.
The Gators now enter their bye week to recuperate after playing seven straight games and turn their attention to an Oct. 31 matchup in Atlanta with No. 5 Georgia. The Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1) lost their No. 1 ranking after losing 27-24 Saturday at Auburn.
Florida sits a spot behind No. 19 Texas and two spots ahead of No. 22 Missouri.
“I love the bye week because you get to take a deep dive into where are we playing well, where are we not?,” Sumrall said. “Who deserves more opportunities? Who may deserve less? We evaluate everything that’s going right and wrong, and I expect everybody take ownership of it so we can move forward through the rest of the year.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com