No. 7/6 Football falls to Florida at home, 27-24

Saturday, October 17

Austin, Texas

11 a.m. CT

University of Texas

5-2 , 3-2

Florida

4-2 , 1-2

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Florida	0	10	7	10	27
Texas	10	7	0	7	24

Box Score (PDF)

Ryan Niblett returned his third career punt return for a touchdown.

No. 7/6 Football falls to Florida at home, 27-24

10.17.2026 | Football

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Ryan Niblett ties Texas record with third career punt return touchdown

AUSTIN, Texas — Despite cutting Florida's lead 27-24 on a 9-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, No. 7/6 Texas could not overcome the deficit, falling to the Gators (5-2, 3-2), 27-24, in front of 103,989 fans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Longhorns (4-2, 1-2 SEC) raced to a 17-3 lead after Ryan Niblett returned a punt 63 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, tying the program record for career punt return touchdowns with three. Niblett became the fourth Longhorn to record three career punt return scores and now ranks eighth in program history with 668 career punt return yards.

In the effort, Edge Colin Simmons recorded his fifth sack in five games, bringing his career total to 31.5, the third-most career sacks in program history. The edge also notched four tackles for loss, making it the fourth time in five games Simmons has registered multiple TFLs.

Linebacker Justin Cryer paced Texas with a career-high 11 tackles, while defensive back Jelani McDonald added nine tackles and a tackle for loss.

Raleek Brown broke free for a 32-yard touchdown run on Texas' opening possession to give the Longhorns a 7-0 lead. The score marked Brown's fifth touchdown on the season and the Longhorns' fourth opening-drive touchdown in six games.

Kicker Gianni Spetic extended the advantage to 10-0 with a 38-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. Spetic has converted nine of his 10 field-goal attempts this season, including all nine from inside 50 yards.

Following Niblett's score, Florida found the end zone to cut Texas' lead to 17-10 just before the break. The Gators carried that momentum into the opening possession in the second half, scoring on an 8-yard pass to even the score, 17-17.

Florida tacked on 10 more points in the fourth quarter with a 28-yard field goal and an 11-yard rushing score to extend the lead to 27-17 with 6:22 remaining.

Texas quickly responded with a 6-play, 75-yard scoring drive that took only 2:01 to complete, highlighted by an Arch Manning fourth-down, 62-yard completion to Emmett Mosley V. The Longhorns scored two plays later on a Cam Coleman 9-yard touchdown reception.

Mosley's reception marked Texas' longest offensive play of the season, while Coleman has recorded a touchdown reception in back-to-back games and leads Texas with six receiving scores this season.

Manning finished 14-of-20 passing for 173 yards and a touchdown.

Texas regained possession with 2:32 remaining, but Florida forced a Manning fumble that was recovered, allowing the Gators to run out the clock.

Up next, Texas will host Ole Miss at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 24. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on ABC.