Arch Manning struggles, Colin Simmons injured as Florida scores 24 straight to upset No. 7 Texas

Late in the second quarter Saturday at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, No. 7 Texas was up 14 points on a Florida team in free fall. The Gators, ranked as high as No. 8 earlier this month, were coming off back-to-back blowout losses, the second of which was handed to them by a South Carolina squad that was previously winless in SEC competition.

To top it off, Florida arrived in Austin with its QB1 nursing a shoulder injury that he suffered in that disheartening setback to the Gamecocks.

With Aaron Philo only available as an emergency backup, sophomore Tramell Jones Jr. got his first career start. Despite the hostile environment and the two-score hole, Jones emerged victorious on the road against the suddenly reeling Longhorns.

The Jones-led Gators dominated the "middle eight," pairing a quick touchdown drive before intermission with a much longer one after halftime, en route to scoring 24 straight points in a 27-24 win .

For Jon Sumrall's Florida (5-2, 3-2 SEC), it was an upset victory. For Steve Sarkisian's Texas (4-2, 1-2), it was an utter letdown. In fact, it marked the Longhorns' largest blown lead at home versus an unranked opponent since 1965, according to ESPN.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning struggled most of the afternoon, a week removed from throwing a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions, including a pick-6, in an agonizing Red River Rivalry defeat to Oklahoma .

Entering the final frame against Florida, Manning was averaging -0.7 air yards per completion, per the ESPN broadcast. Although he wowed while evading and then overcoming pressure to rifle a 62-yard completion to wideout Emmett Mosley V — a gain that set up a 9-yard TD pass to Cam Coleman — he fumbled on a potential game-winning drive the next series.

To make matters worse for the Longhorns, their star pass rusher, Colin Simmons, suffered a lower-leg injury in the fourth quarter and didn't return. Simmons began the day with a nation-leading 9.5 sacks and added one more to his total.

He's a heralded NFL Draft prospect. Manning has been in the past; however, his stock has taken a serious hit this month.

Texas scored on its first two possessions. Florida, meanwhile, started with a pair of three-and-outs.

A 32-yard rushing touchdown from running back Raleek Brown slingshotted the Longhorns to a 7-0 advantage. Florida eventually answered Texas' first-quarter field goal with one of its own in the second frame.

But it didn't take long for the Longhorns to restore their two-score lead, thanks to the elusive Ryan Niblett, who took a Gators punt 63 yards to the house, putting Sarkisian's crew up 17-3.

The pendulum began to swing late in the first half. Manning took a sack — he was sacked five times on the day — then threw into double coverage and nearly was picked by Florida safety Bryce Thornton. Two plays after that, Texas turned the ball over on downs.

Cue the first of the Gators' two game-changing touchdown drives. It was made possible, in part, by a 17-yard completion from Jones to Dallas Wilson on fourth-and-12. The series ended with Jones finding tight end Lacota Dippre for a 7-yard score with 18 seconds left in the half.

After getting the ball back to start the second, Jones orchestrated a 15-play, 69-yard drive, which ended with him stepping up and locating Dippre for his second scoring grab.

That capped an eight-minute series and tied the game 17-17.

Another lengthy Florida drive — spanning 14 plays, 57 yards and 6:31 — amounted in one more Patrick Durkin field goal, a 28-yarder that lifted the Gators to a 20-17 lead.

On Texas' next drive, Manning ran right into 319-pound Florida defensive lineman Brendan Bett for a loss of 3 yards on fourth-and-2 from about midfield.

An 11-yard Jadan Baugh TD run gave the Gators some breathing room. Manning closed the gap with his strikes to Mosley and Coleman.

Yet when Manning had a chance to exorcise the late-game demons that haunted him last week in Dallas, he fumbled. A blitzing Myles Graham got home, and Manning lost hold of the rock.

Florida recovered, and its newfound hero, Jones, sealed the win on a keeper. The Gators may have an interesting quarterback decision on their hands. The Longhorns do but for entirely different reasons.

Sarkisian repeated throughout his postgame news conference that he's going to "evaluate everything" offensively.

Manning is part of that "everything," Sarkisian confirmed . So is play-calling, he said when asked about it .