Florida Gators at Texas Longhorns
· NCAA - FootballEwers' 5 TD passes lead No. 5 Texas in 49-17 rout of struggling Florida
Ewers connected on open passes to Matthew Golden and Gunnar Helm for touchdowns in the first quarter. Quintrevion Wisner took a screen pass 50 yards for a score before Ewers connected with Golden again for a 32-yard strike in the second.
Texas (8-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 5 CFP ) led 35-0 at halftime.
Coach Steve Sarkisian had said the Longhorns had been struggling to find their rhythm offensively in recent weeks, but they dialed up big play after big play against the Gators. Texas had 12 plays of more than 20 yards.
“The explosiveness of the offense showed back up today,” Sarkisian said.
Wide receiver Isaiah Bond returned to the lineup after missing a game with an ankle injury and had a 44-yard run on a misdirection play and a 34-yard touchdown off a screen pass.
“We want people to feel our speed. We want people to fear our speed,” Sarkisian said.
Ewers' easy day could have been even bigger if not for a couple of deep throws dropped by receivers. He was replaced by Arch Manning in the third quarter after his fifth touchdown pass.
The five TDs were a career high for Ewers and one shy of a school record. The big numbers on a short afternoon were a confidence boost for a quarterback who was briefly benched two games ago in a loss to Georgia and who has been playing with a nagging abdomen injury.
“Who wouldn’t be confident after that performance by the whole offense?” Ewers said. “I’m just trying to get the ball in the playmakers’ hands, and they make all the plays.”
Florida (4-5, 2-4) started Yale transfer Aidan Warner at quarterback because freshman DJ Lagway is still recovering from a hamstring injury. Warner, who was third team when the season started, was 12 of 25 passing for 132 yards and two interceptions.
“It got out of hand in the first half. You looked up and the game was over,” Napier said. “Aidan fought his tail off out there today. ... You go into the game understanding that you’re playing with your third quarterback, and you know you have to defend them, and we did not do that.”
“I’m thankful for our players,” Napier said of the vote of confidence. "I do think when you look at the roster as a whole, we have a ton of young talent that I think will continue to develop. They’re learning, they’re going through this experience, and I think that will prove beneficial in the future.”
Texas: After allowing 11 sacks in the previous two games, the offensive line protected Ewers well most of the day. He was sacked on the opening drive but was seldom harassed again. Some quick reads and short passes also kept the pressure off. Texas wants to avoid hits on Ewers that could aggravate his abdomen strain.
“I believe in our players,” Sarkisian said. “I really didn’t blink. I was going for it.”
Texas plays at Arkansas next Saturday.
How To Watch
How can I watch Florida Gators vs. Texas Longhorns?
- TV Channel: Gators at Longhorns 2021 College Football, week 11, is broadcasted on ABC.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
TD | 1st Period 3:43 | Matthew Golden 29 Yd pass from Quinn Ewers (Bert Auburn Kick) | |
TD | 1st Period 3:11 | Gunnar Helm 22 Yd pass from Quinn Ewers (Bert Auburn Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 5:54 | Quintrevion Wisner 50 Yd pass from Quinn Ewers (Bert Auburn Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 1:19 | Matthew Golden 32 Yd pass from Quinn Ewers (Bert Auburn Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 0:23 | Jaydon Blue 5 Yd Run (Bert Auburn Kick) | |
TD | 3rd Period 12:52 | Isaiah Bond 34 Yd pass from Quinn Ewers (Bert Auburn Kick) | |
FG | 3rd Period 7:03 | Trey Smack 23 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 3rd Period 1:30 | Jadan Baugh 2 Yd Run (Trey Smack Kick) | |
TD | 4th Period 14:55 | Jerrick Gibson 14 Yd Run (Bert Auburn Kick) | |
TD | 4th Period 8:27 | Ja'Kobi Jackson 7 Yd Run (Trey Smack Kick) |
Statistics
FLA | TEX | |
---|---|---|
20 | 1st Downs | 23 |
6-14 | 3rd down efficiency | 5-11 |
0-0 | 4th down efficiency | 2-2 |
329 | Total Yards | 562 |
132 | Passing | 352 |
12/25 | Comp/Att | 22/33 |
5.3 | Yards per pass | 10.7 |
197 | Rushing | 210 |
41 | Rushing Attempts | 31 |
4.8 | Yards per rush | 6.8 |
4-35 | Penalties | 7-70 |
3 | Turnovers | 1 |
1 | Fumbles lost | 1 |
2 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
32:06 | Possession | 27:54 |
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