By Cody Queen
Queen Media Sports Report
Every loss has a turning point, and Saturday's was easy to find. With 6:22 left in the third quarter, Florida trailed Oklahoma 13-7 and faced fourth-and-3 at the Sooners' 17. Jon Sumrall passed on a 34-yard field goal and went for it. Tramell Jones Jr. faked to Jadan Baugh, rolled right under pressure, and threw off his back foot toward an uncovered Eric Singleton Jr. in the end zone. The pass was underthrown, safety Courtland Guillory intercepted it, and from that point the 23-7 loss at sold-out Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was all Oklahoma.
The official numbers from Gainesville make it clear. Florida finished with 203 total yards on 47 plays, its lowest total of the season and its fewest since a 26-7 loss at Miami last year. The Gators scored their fewest points at home since a 27-2 loss to Florida State on Nov. 28, 2015. It was their second straight single-digit scoring game, following last week's 27-8 loss to Georgia. Florida ran for 70 yards, went 2 for 9 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth down, and held the ball for just 22 minutes, 10 seconds.
Start with the decision, because Sumrall did. "I felt like it was going to take 14 points at least," he said. "And we haven't been down in the red zone enough for me to feel real confident that we're going to get a bunch more trips." He said the analytics chart supported going for it, and he hinted that Singleton was held on the play, adding, "I'm sure it was officiated perfectly." That's a dry line, and a coach doesn't use it unless he's frustrated.
The logic holds up better than the result. Florida ended only two drives in Oklahoma territory all night, so Sumrall had reason to doubt he'd get another red-zone chance. He didn't. But the play itself, a back-foot throw on the move, is the risk you take with a quarterback making his second career start and his first at home. Jones took responsibility. "Eric was wide open, tried to put it on him," he said. "Corner made a great play. It fell off. We can't have those interceptions." He finished 10 of 22 for 133 yards with two interceptions, the second on the final possession.
Then the drive. After the interception, Oklahoma had the ball for 17 minutes, 30 seconds of the final 21:22. The Sooners went 89 yards in 20 plays over 12:45, which Oklahoma said was its longest drive in 54 years, according to the AP, and finished it with John Mateer's six-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Sategna III to make it 20-7 with 5:01 left. "They took the air out of the football, and they bled it," Sumrall said. "You want to get off the field so bad to get our offense another shot of making it a game and we couldn't find an answer."
That's the part that should bother Florida the most. Oklahoma came in next-to-last in the SEC in scoring and total offense, had fired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle the previous Monday, and was playing its first game with Jason Witten calling plays. The Sooners ran 73 plays to Florida's 47, went 10 of 18 on third down, scored on all three red-zone trips and ran for 144 yards. Mateer went 21 of 33 for 207 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 56 more, and didn't turn the ball over. According to UF, it was the first time since joining the SEC in 2024, 35 games, that Oklahoma scored on each of its first two possessions. Its first touchdown, a three-yard pass, went to tight end Hayden Hansen, who spent the previous four seasons as a Gator.
Florida's lone touchdown came from special teams and effort. Bailey Stockton returned a punt 31 yards to midfield, and four plays later Baugh dove for the pylon on a 15-yard run. Baugh had only eight carries for 35 yards, a light workload for a back who has 14 rushing touchdowns this season, and Duke Clark's 33-yard catch-and-run was the longest play of the night. Myles Graham led Florida with 15 tackles. The defense also went a fifth straight game without an interception.
The question coming out of Saturday is the quarterback, and it is still open. The team site's own recap said Florida "may be looking at another quarterback change," and Aaron Philo, who was benched during the Georgia loss after two interceptions, is healthy. Sumrall has not named a starter for this week. Receiver Vernell Brown III missed his fifth straight game with a grade-1 PCL strain, and defensive lineman Jeramiah McCloud was suspended for the game for conduct detrimental to the team, with his status to be re-evaluated afterward.
After a 4-0 start, Florida has lost four of five and is 5-4, one win from bowl eligibility.
Don't just watch the game. Understand it. Queen Media Sports Report.
Cody Queen is the lead columnist for the Queen Media Sports Report, bringing you the hard hitting facts, the deep dives, and the unapologetic truth about the teams you love. Queen Media Sports Report is brought to you by Backwater Royalty.
