It's no secret that the Florida Gators have been incredibly lackluster on both offense and defense in 2025, and the Longhorns have what it takes to punish them for it this weekend.
If Steve Sarkisian and Co. want to make a statement against their first SEC opponent of the season on Saturday, they need to be effective in two main areas:
Arch Manning and the passing game
Florida's passing defense has been middling at best throughout the 2025 season, and Arch Manning could do quite a bit of damage against them in multiple areas of the field.
Manning looked much better against Sam Houston State in week 4, and the passing offense in general operated at a much smoother pace than it did over the previous two weeks against similar competition.
Florida's passing defense is ranked 55th or worse in:
- Passing yards per game at 214.3
- Opp. yards per pass at 6.9
- Opp. interceptions thrown at 2.15%
- Sack rate at 2.11%
The Gator defense has also been dealing with a plethora of injuries in their defensive backfield, and they are expected to still be without several players this weekend. This game has the potential to get ugly for Florida really fast if Arch Manning can remain effective and efficient throughout the game.
Along the defensive line
The Gators' offensive line, specifically on the right side, has been pretty underwhelming this season, which has caused Billy Napier's offense to stall out a lot.
Florida's offensive line is allowing opposing defenses to sack the quarterback 7.08% of the time, which is good for 86th in the league. Right tackle Bryce Lovett and right guard Damieon George Jr. have been the main source of trouble for the Gators' offensive line, and Texas' NFL-like defensive line should have a field day against them.
As mentioned earlier, being effective in these two aspects could potentially go a long way in a big Texas win on Saturday in the Swamp.