Florida Gators (4-4, 2-3 SEC) vs #5 Texas Longhorns (7-1, 3-1 SEC)
November 9 //noon ET // Austin, Tex. Darrel K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (100,119)
Game 9
ABC Play-by-Play: Joe Tessitore
Analyst: Jesse Palmer
Reporter: Katie George
Channel (Cox): 7 / 1007 [HD]
Channel (DirecTV): 8 [HD]
Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley
Analyst: Shane Matthews
Reporter: Tate Casey
Channel: Local Affiliates SiriusXM
Channel: 374
National Radio
Play-by-Play: TBA
Analyst: TBA
Host: TBA
Channel: 38
Week 11 marks the fourth meeting between Florida and Texas and the first in 84 years (since 1940).
• This is the third-ever matchup between the Gators and Longhorns in Austin, with Texas leading at 1-0-1.
• The first meeting between the two programs was a 7-7 tie in Austin over 100 years ago on Oct. 25, 1924.
• Florida and Texas faced off in consecutive seasons in 1939 in Austin (UT 12, UF 0) and 1940 in Gainesville (UT 26, UF 0).
• Having coached together at Alabama in 2016, this is the second meeting between HC Billy Napier and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian as head coaches. Sark’s Longhorns defeated Napier’s Louisiana, 38-18, in the 2021 opener (more on Page 9).
• Florida is the only four-loss team in the nation with a perfect record vs. teams ranked outside the current AP Top 10.
• In the Week 8 win over UK, Florida started a true freshman at both quarterback (DJ Lagway) and running back (Jadan Baugh) for the first team in program history, and is one of two FBS programs to do so this season (Stanford).
• Among quarterbacks with at least 90 pass attempts this season, Lagway (second, 10th - 169.3) and QB Graham Mertz (fourth, 15th - 164.1) both rank top-five in the SEC and top-15 nationally in passer rating.
• Florida is one of three teams in the country with two qualified receivers averaging 18.0 yards per catch in WR Elijhah Badger (second - 23.3) and WR Chimere Dike (25th - 18.6), with the others being Ole Miss and TCU.
• Since the team’s Week 5 bye, Florida is allowing just 22.5 points per game and 135.3 rushing yards per game.
• The Gators have logged multiple takeaways in three-straight games for the first time since delivering a four-week stretch during the 2019 campaign (Sept. 14-Oct. 5, 2019), with six in the last two games alone for nine on the season.
• The UF defense has posted three interceptions in back-to-back games for the first time since Sept. 14, 2019 vs. Kentucky (three) and Sept. 21, 2019 vs. Tennessee (three).
• Led by first-year senior analyst Joe Houston, Florida ranks third in the FBS in net punting (45.09), eighth in punt return average (17.33) and 46th in kick return average (21.33), and has been inside the top-13 all season in ESPN’s SP+ metric.
• Florida enters Week 11 ranking sixth in the SEC and 27th in the FBS in passer rating (150.5).
• C Jake Slaughter grades as the No. 6 center in the FBS (78.1) highlighted by the eighth-best pass block grade (85.7).
• The Gators have allowed just 12 sacks on the season, which ranks fourth-least in the SEC and t-42nd nationally.
• Since the 2018 season, Napier is tied for 15th in the FBS with 55 total wins, ahead of Mike Gundy (54), Mike Norvell (51), Sonny Dykes (51) and Mark Stoops (50) in that time.
• The Gators have won 16 of their last 22 games in The Swamp (including 11 of 16), but are 3-18 in their last 21 contests outside The Swamp and 3-13 in their last 16 true road games. Florida has scored in 456-consecutive games dating back to 1988 - an NCAA record and 53 games longer than any other college football team in the history of the sport (TCU, 402-straight games, active streak).