The No. 5 Texas Longhorns easily handled the Florida Gators when they came to Austin right after their head coach Billy Napier learned his job was secure. At halftime, the Horns were already up 35-0 over the Gators and Texas didn't look back.
Even during the second half when Quinn Ewers took a seat and Arch Manning stepped up to the plate, Florida simply couldn't stop the Texas offense and struggled to get past the dominant Longhorns defensive unit.
With the 49-17 win over Florida now in their back pocket, here are the three biggest takeaways the Longhorns should keep in mind as they head toward Week 12:
1. Quinn Ewers' injury is a thing of the past
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers silenced any remaining doubters as he led the Horns to five touchdowns before resting for the remainder of the game.
In the first half alone, Ewers threw four touchdown passes and amassed nearly 300 yards through the air. He led Texas to yet another touchdown to open the second half and had an incredible stat line once he took a seat.
What a stat line for Quinn Ewers vs. Florida 🫢 pic.twitter.com/n2ik32Qx2j
— Hook'em Headlines (@HookemHeadlines) November 9, 2024
Anyone who was questioning if Ewers was still negatively affected by his oblique strain got their answer as he absolutely tore apart the Florida defense.
2. Texas' defense is just as good as you think it is
Florida only earned 110 offensive yards in the first half. The Gators' punter earned a better number with 195 punt yards in the first 30 minutes.
The Texas defense held the Gators scoreless in the first half and only once head coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski began pulling starters did the Gators find the endzone.
At the end of the game, Florida only earned 329 yards and had put up a pitiful 17 points on Texas.
3. The Texas running game still needs work
Yes, the Longhorns' running back room was heavily depleted before the season ever started. However, Texas only produced 210 yards on the ground against Florida.
For context, the Gators allowed an average of 162.0 yards per game ahead of the matchup in Austin, including their wins against the Samford Bulldogs, Mississippi State Bulldogs, UCF Knights, and Kentucky Wildcats.
Heck, 44 yards of Texas' rushing game came from a lateral that Ewers threw to Isaiah Bond, a wide receiver. RB1 Jaydon Blue and RB3 Jerrick Gibson combined for 160 yards while RB2 Quintrevion Wisner earned a minimal 0 yards on the ground.
The Longhorns will visit Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in Week 12. The Hogs are 5-4 overall and currently ranked 9th in the SEC.