Arch Manning’s late fumble caps Texas rally in 27-24 loss to Florida

Arch Manning’s strip‑sack fumble with under two minutes left gave unranked Florida a 27‑24 victory over No. 7 Texas in Austin on Oct. 17, 2026, snapping the Longhorns’ comeback attempt.

The loss ended Texas’s brief stint as the nation’s top‑ranked team, reviving concerns about the Longhorns’ offense and Manning’s ability to protect the ball as the program eyes a College Football Playoff berth.

Manning completed 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards and one touchdown, but recorded no interceptions and posted zero yards on ten rushes, including third‑and‑1 and fourth‑and‑2 attempts that stalled the drive in the fourth quarter.

“I’m just gonna call him Arch, because if you take away the last name you have a below‑average quarterback… Arch Manning isn’t playing like a Manning.” – CBS analyst Damien Harris

Texas’s defense also suffered a setback when NCAA sack leader and pass rusher Colin Simmons left the field with a left‑leg injury in the fourth quarter, weakening a unit that had been crucial to the team’s earlier success.

Both Manning and Simmons have been mentioned as potential top‑five picks in the 2027 NFL draft, and the defeat is expected to hurt Texas’s likelihood of reaching the playoff field.

Despite the recent slide, Texas entered the game as an 11.5‑point favorite, reflecting lingering optimism about the talent on the roster even after back‑to‑back losses to Oklahoma and now Florida.

Looking ahead, the Longhorns face a daunting SEC stretch with visits to No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 16 Mississippi State, No. 13 Missouri and No. 22 LSU as they try to regain footing in the national rankings.