The Gators have a distinct split in their identity and abilities in wins and losses.
The No. 5 Texas Longhorns come out of the bye week with an opportunity to retake control of the narrative around their season. Following the loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, Texas went to Nashville and struggled with a resurgent Vanderbilt Commodores team that is in position for its first winning season since 2013. Now, Texas welcomes the Florida Gators to Austin on Saturday, a team coming from a tight game against Georgia and hoping to pull to .500 in SEC play.
While the Gators may be without quarterback DJ Lagway for the contest, with Yale transfer Aidan Warner running the offense, the Gators have largely found success despite the quarterback play. Sound defense, success on the money downs, and the ground game have been pivotal to their success.
Rush defense
While the Gators don’t have a marquee running back like they have in years past, the two-headed monster of Montrell Johnson, Jr. and Jadan Baugh has been an effective tool for their offense. Florida is 4-4 this year and one of the most stark differences in outcomes is their ability to run the ball. In their four wins, the Gators averaged 179.75 rushing yards per game and 5.32 yards per rush. In their losses, those numbers fall to 111 yards per game and 3.39 yards per carry.
The Longhorns’ rush defense has been up-and-down thus far, peaking with the 57-yard performance against Louisiana-Monroe, followed by the worst output of the season a week later giving up 150 yards against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Over the last three games, Texas is giving up 116 rushing yards per game and 3.8 yards per carry, a number floated by the 89-yard performance against the Oklahoma Sooners. Texas has done a good job of keeping opponents out of the end zone via rush, giving up just six rush touchdowns all year, three of which came against Georgia.
Third-down conversions
In any game, one of the biggest indicators of success is how well a team can convert on third downs, and it is no more evident than in the Gator’s offense. Florida is No. 104 nationally in third-down conversions, picking up just 36.17 percent of their attempts. However, in their wins, Florida converts on 51.11 percent of their third downs and just 22.45 percent in their losses. In their loss to Georgia just a week ago, they converted just three of their 16 third-down attempts, compare that to the week prior — a 48-20 win over Kentucky — where they went 6-of-12.
Texas is one of the best in the nation in third-down defense, No. 7 overall, allowing opponents to convert on 28.45 percent of their attempts. Unsurprisingly, one of their worst games of the season was against Georgia, who converted on six of their 17 attempts, a performance followed by a smothering of Vanderbilt, giving up just 3 of 12 to the Commodores.
Sacks and TFL
Perhaps the most likely spot that Florida can press an advantage over Texas is creating chaos at and behind the line of scrimmage and keeping the Longhorns offense off schedule. Florida averages 5.63 tackles for loss and 2.4 sacks per game but shows another massive split in wins and losses. In their four wins, the Gators averaged 7.25 tackles for loss and 3.25 sacks, compared to just four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in losses.
The Longhorns have not been world-beaters on either front through their first eight games, giving up 6.25 tackles for loss and 2.13 sacks per game, good enough for No. 12 and No. 7 in the SEC, respectively. That number is impacted by the abysmal performance against Georgia, in which Texas allowed seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss at home.