No. 5 Texas dominates first half, rolls past Florida 49-17

Field Level Media|published: Sat 9th November, 15:57 2024

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Isaiah Bond (7) puts out an arm to stop a tackle from Florida Gators defensive back Trikweze Bridges (7) during the first quarter of the Longhorns' game against the Florida Gators, Nov. 9, 2024 at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.

Quinn Ewers passed for 333 yards and career-high five touchdowns over the game's first 33 minutes as No. 5 Texas romped past visiting Florida 49-17 on Saturday afternoon at Austin, Texas.

The Longhorns (8-1, 4-1 SEC) flexed their talent and speed throughout the win as the teams played as SEC opponents for the first time. Ewers finished 19 of 27 without an interception, and Jerrick Gibson rushed for 100 yards and a TD for Texas.

Aidan Warner, the Gators' walk-on, third string quarterback, passed for 132 yards and was intercepted twice. Ja'Kobi Jackson rushed for 116 yards and a score while Jaden Baugh added 88 yards rushing and a TD for Florida (4-5, 2-4).

Texas struck on its second possession, jumping to a 7-0 lead with a 29-yard TD pass from Ewers to Matthew Golden with 3:43 to play in the first quarter. The score came two snaps after a nifty 44-yard wide receiver reverse from Isaiah Bond put the Longhorns deep into Florida territory.

The Longhorns added to their lead just 32 seconds later on a 22-yard Ewers-to Gunnar Helm touchdown pass after a Florida fumble. Ewers struck again when Quintrevion Wisner turned a screen pass into a 50-yard TD catch and run for a 21-0 lead 5:54 to play before halftime.

Texas expanded its advantage with a 32-yard scoring pass from Ewers to Golden with 1:19 to play in the half. That was more than enough time for the Longhorns to score again as they took advantage of an interception of Warner and marched 45 yards in four plays to a 5-yard TD run by Jaydon Blue that made it 35-0 at the break.

The Longhorns outgained Florida 353-138 in the half while racking up eight plays of 20 yards or more over a dominating first two quarters.

Texas continued its momentum into the third quarter, forcing a second interception of Warner and turning the miscue into a 34-yard Ewers-to-Bond touchdown pass just 2:08 after the break.

The Gators finally scored on a 23-yard field goal from Trey Smack with 7:04 to play in the third quarter at the end of a 15-play, 70-yard drive. Jaden Baugh added a 2-yard TD run with 1:30 left in the third and Jackson added a 7-yard TD run for the Gators with 8:27 remaining.

--Field Level Media

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