The Longhorns came out on a terror when the No. 5 Texas squad returned to its home stadium to host the unranked Florida Gators. In just 30 minutes of in-game action, the Horns built up a 35-0 lead over their SEC opponent.
Texas hadn't played at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium since the loss to the Georgia Bulldogs but head coach Steve Sarkisian clearly prepared his team to defend his home turf since the defeat.
However, despite Quinn Ewers' four touchdowns and nearly 300 yards plus a defensive shutout (that included a fumble recovery and an interception) in the first half, Sarkisian was ready for even more from his team.
From trick plays to untouchable receivers, Sarkisian's play-calling throughout the entirety of the first half was aggressive and scoring-focused. Even some former Texas stars had to tip their (cowboy) hats to his offensive prowess.
Steve Sarkisian is one of the most brilliant offensive minds in football, at any level. @TexasFootball
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) November 9, 2024
On the other end of the ball, Texas' defense played one of its best first halves of football that it has in years – especially against a Power Conference opponent. The Longhorns looked dominant on almost every snap much less holding the Gators scoreless on every drive.
To put it into an even better context, Florida only produced 110 yards of offense alongside 29 yards on punt and kick returns. Meanwhile, the Gators' punter, Jeremy Crawshaw, earned 195 yards on four punts.
Beyond Ewers' 17 completions for 297 yards and four touchdowns through the air, the Texas running back game produced 56 yards and a touchdown by Jaydon Blue in the first half.
🟧🟧⬜️⬜️ pic.twitter.com/60mkfOyEsc
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) November 9, 2024
To make the first half performance even more memorable, the commentators couldn't stop bringing up the fact that the Florida Gators haven't scored on the Texas Longhorns in a century. Yes, quite literally, the last time the Gators scored on the Horns was in 1924.