Texas football first faced Florida 100 years ago, but the two have not become familiar opponents on the gridiron since.
When the No. 5 Longhorns, a new entrant to the SEC, host the Gators on Saturday at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, it will mark just the fourth-ever meeting between the programs. It’s also the first time in 84 years since the teams played in 1940 in Gainesville, Florida.
Texas (7-1, 3-1 SEC) opens as a 21.5-point favorite over the Gators (4-4, 2-3), who could be without five-star freshman quarterback DJ Lagway. The Longhorns will look to build off a 27-24 win over Vanderbilt last time out two weeks ago, while the Gators are coming off a 34-20 loss to the Bulldogs.
Here’s what you need to know about Texas football’s history vs. Florida:
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The Longhorns and Gators faced off for the first time on Oct. 25, 1924, a 7-7 tie. According to the Pensacola News, Texas kept Florida from scoring on a last-minute goal-line stand to keep the game tied in front of 10,000 fans. Both teams scored on “five-yard forward passes” in the second quarter. The Gators scored first and have been outscored 45-0 by Texas since.
The teams next squared off in 1939 and 1940, alternating home games between Austin and Gainesville. On Sept. 30, 1939, the Longhorns earned a 12-0 win in Austin. The following year, Texas defeated Florida 26-0 in Gainesville.
Florida is 0-1-1 in Austin vs. the Longhorns and 0-1 in Gainesville.
Texas and Florida had agreed in 2019 to a home-and-home nonconference series for games in 2030 and 2031. However, when the Longhorns joined the SEC ahead of this season, the future series was canceled.
Here’s a look at the football games played between the Longhorns and the Gators:
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian and Florida coach Billy Napier were on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama in 2016. Sarkisian served as an offensive analyst before becoming the offensive coordinator for the national championship game, while Napier was the wide receiver’s coach.
The coaches faced off in 2021 when Texas and Louisiana played their season opener in Austin. Sarkisian’s Longhorns defeated Napier’s Ragin’ Cajuns 38-18. Napier led Louisiana to 13 consecutive wins to end the season, including a 36-21 win over Marshall in the New Orleans Bowl. Napier accepted the Florida coaching job on Nov. 28, 2021.
