Billy Napier, Florida survive late-game mishap, take down No. 9 Texas

With both teams coming off a bye week, Saturday’s Texas at Florida game featured plenty of storylines. The biggest were at quarterback as Arch Manning and DJ Lagway squared off for the first time in a battle of preseason Heisman Trophy hopefuls.

In front of a packed house at The Swamp, Lagway and the Florida offense exploded. The Gators took full control early and dominated the No. 9-ranked Longhorns, pulling off the upset victory in Gainesville.

It wasn’t without some late craziness, though. Florida looked like it’d have an opportunity to drain more of the clock, but Billy Napier called a timeout to avoid a 10-second runoff after a player lost his helmet. That decision led to some questions from the ESPN broadcast crew of Bob Wischusen and Louis Riddick.

Florida used a strong attack on offense to lead the charge, totaling more than 400 yards as a team. Lagway had a huge game, going 21 of 28 for 298 yards and two touchdowns, to one interception.

Dallas Wilson emerged as the top target in his first career start and made an immediate impact. He had six catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns – including a 55-yarder, which turned out to be the knockout punch. Florida’s running game was crucial, led by 107 yards and a touchdown from Jadan Baugh. It marks Baugh’s third 100-yard game of his young career and second of the season.

The Gators defense also showed out, creating pressure throughout the game. Manning had an up-and-down performance, going 16 of 29 for 263 yards and two touchdowns, to two interceptions, while adding a team-high 37 rushing yards on the ground.

How it happened: Florida takes down Texas

Florida didn’t waste any time finding the end zone as Baugh took a five-yard carry into the end zone on the opening possession, and a field goal made it a 10-0 Gators lead. Lagway headed to the injury tent at one point, but quickly returned. Texas then made things interesting by forcing a Hayden Hansen fumble and turning that into a Tre Wisner touchdown right away.

However, the Gators punched back. Wilson caught his first career touchdown on the ensuing possession, a 13-yard score to make it a 17-7 Florida lead. Then, the special teams emerged. Jackson Wade broke through on a Texas punt and blocked it, sending the ball out the back of the end zone for a safety to make it 19-7 Gators to end the first half.

After a Florida field goal in the third quarter, Manning found Ryan Wingo for his second touchdown of the day, hoping to lead a Texas rally. But Wilson entered the chat again, bullying his way into the end zone for what turned out to be a 55-yard touchdown pass from Lagway to extend Florida’s lead to 29-14.

Wisner scored again with 3:20 remaining, which made it a 29-21 Gators advantage. With Texas out of timeouts, Florida took the clock down to 56 seconds before the Longhorns got one more chance. But they were unable to get to the end zone, meaning the Gators got the upset win.