Texas Longhorns left searching for answers after miserable showing at Florida – losing 29-21 to Gators, DJ Lagway
The Longhorns are in deep, deep trouble.
No. 9 Texas had all the opportunity in the world to establish itself as a real contender in the SEC. Then, Florida announced itself on Saturday in a 29-21 win in the Swamp.
Arch Manning and the offense could never get things going and the Texas defense was uncharacteristically carved up. DJ Lagway and the Gators did enough on offense and the Florida defense intercepted Manning twice and held Steve Sarkisian’s offense to just 53 rushing yards.
This leaves Sark and the Texas staff in search of some meaning. You’re now sitting at 3-2 (0-1) an no longer in the proverbial drivers seat for the conference title and consideration for the CFP. You’ve got to win out. No excuses.
The offensive line is NOT figured out.
Arch Manning being your leading rusher is NOT a recipe for success. This cannot be sustainable. And it wasn’t on Saturday.
Tre Wisner returned for this one and was rendered ineffective. Despite running for a touchdown, he only had 11 yards on eight attempts. Manning was the leading rusher at 15 carries for 38 yards and most of those were on scrambles.
This group up front had no answer for the Gators and looked lost all day. Manning had a few sacks where he held onto the football a little too long, but he was forced to try and do a lot because the run game was nonexistent and the defense could not get a stop.
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Emmett Mosley V did not have as big of an impact.
The offensive line being bad is going to affect everything. This kept Texas from getting the Stanford transfer involved. DeAndre Moore and Ryan Wingo led the way but it was mostly in a scurried attempt at a comeback.
This offense has been completely lost since the opener. A lot can be attributed to a first-year starter in his first start on the road in the Southeastern Conference. Still, the unit has been disappointing for Sarkisian and his staff and Manning still has not looked comfortable.
If Texas wants to get going to be involved in the postseason where it matters, it not only has to get the run game going, but someone else has to step up in the wide receiver room.
The Texas secondary was very disappointing Saturday.
Florida and a hurt Lagway threw for 298 yards Saturday. This is enough to give you pause. Billy Napier’s attack kept Pete Kwiatkowski guessing and the experienced unit was completely befuddled.
True freshman Dallas Wilson made his debut Saturday and it was one to remember. Wilson finished the day with six receptions, 111 yards, and two touchdowns. This is not good enough for a Texas team which has multiple All-SEC and All-Americans in the secondary.
This is a huge question moving forward for the Longhorns as Oklahoma is on the horizon as well as Vanderbilt and Georgia who all have capable athletes. The Red River Shootout is coming next week and whether or not John Mateer is ready, it’s going to be a battle to bounce back.
