2 weeks Ago By By JIM VERTUNO - AP Sports Writer
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Longhorns are still very much in the thick of the Southeastern Conference title chase and the hunt for the College Football Playoff . But even they say something is missing heading into a November stretch of games that will determine their chances at either one, or both. “Our mojo offensively, is one thing I want to get back,” coach Steve Sarkisian said ahead of Saturday's matchup with Florida (4-4, 2-3).
Mojo, rhythm, flow, consistency. It's all been lacking for No. 5 Texas (7-1, 3-1 No.
5 CFP). The Longhorns rose as high as No. 1 this season behind an explosive offense led first by Quinn Ewers and then Arch Manning when Ewers was sidelined for a couple of games with an abdomen injury.
But after a 5-0 start averaging 45 points per game, Texas has averaged 25 over the past three, and has been outscored 17-14 in the first quarter in that stretch. Compounding the problem: Texas has six turnovers, allowed 11 sacks and committed 18 penalties over the last two games. Texas ran for just 29 yards in a 30-15 loss to Georgia , then managed 104 yards in a 27-24 win at Vanderbilt the following week.
The previous season low was 143 yards in a win at Michigan. Texas now runs into a Gators defense that stood tough against Georgia in a 34-20 loss last week. The Gators forced three turnovers and allowed a short-field late touchdown in final minutes for the final margin after their own turnover.
Florida has lost two of its last three, but the hard-fought matchups with Tennessee and Georgia are signs of progress and may have earned third-year coach Billy Napier a boost of confidence . Meanwhile, a week off revived Texas in the SEC. Texas A&M's loss at South Carolina knocked off the last undefeated team in conference play, allowing Texas to join four others with one loss heading in the final month of the regular season.
“The games in November are the ones you remember,” Sarkisian said. The Gators have a problem at quarterback. Freshman starter DJ Lagway, a Texas native, was carted off the field last week with a hamstring injury.
Napier said this week the injury was not as bad as he feared and did not rule him out of the Texas game, but it would appear unlikely he will play. If he can't, the Gators give the ball to Yale transfer Aidan Warner, who was 7 of 22 passing against Georgia last week after Lagway was injured. “The kid did as good of job as he could do,” Napier said.
Texas' once-dominant offensive line has let the quarterbacks get hit a lot lately. Offensive tackles Kelvin Banks Jr. and Cam Williams will be challenged by Gators edge rushers Tyreak Sapp and George Gumbs Jr.
, who have combined for 6 1/2 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Texas' penalty problems the last two games include momentum-stealing false starts and score-killing personal fouls, including a targeting penalty that will sideline defensive lineman Vernon Broughton for the first half against Florida. The Gators, meanwhile, are the least penalized team in the SEC with a total of 45 this season.
Banks said Sarkisian has made the offensive line do pushups if they have false starts in practice. “On Monday, we’ll do 20," Banks said. "And then it goes up 10 every day.
” Ewers has been uneven since his return from an abdomen injury with a rash of turnovers and briefly getting benched against Georgia. He recovered with a big first half against Vanderbilt, but questions remain of how much the injury still affects him. Receivers DeAndre Moore Jr.
for Texas and Aidan Mizell of Florida are coming off their most productive games and figure to be big targets the rest of the season. Moore had six catches and two touchdowns against Vanderbilt. Mizell caught four passes against Georgia, including a 43-yard touchdown.
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