Take Five Breakdown: No. 5 Texas up next

Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators

• October Superlatives
• Former Florida Player Feedback: 10 Observations
• Recruit Reaction: I thought the atmosphere was electric
• Parental Perspective: Florida Football Commits Parental RoundTable
• OTM: Is there a path to a fourth year
• Ranking UF’s commits from least to most likely to jump ship
• What names are on your Coaching Hot Board

After losing their second starting quarterback of the season, the .500 Florida Gators hit the road again to face No.5 Texas. To get a better feel for the Longhorns, Inside the Gators caught up with Lindsey Plotkin of The Daily Texan for a full preview.

Five Texas Longhorns to Know

Deandre Moore Jr., Wide receiver, Sophomore

• Last season, Deandre Moore Jr. didn’t catch a single ball. Now, the sophomore leads the receiving core with five touchdowns. He is having a breakout season receiving 17 passes for 249 yards, with the highlight being his 50-yard touchdown over Mississippi State. “He’s gotten a lot of praise from Coach Steve Sarkisian for being a constant positive presence and leader in the locker room,” Plotkin said. The young receiver modeled his game after former Longhorn and the Los Angeles Rams 6th-round pick Jordan Whittington.

Quintrevion Wisner, Running Back, Sophomore

• One of the younger guys in the running back room has taken the No. 1 job this year. Season ending injuries to CJ Baxter and Christian Clark gave Quintrevion Wisner the opportunity to earn his snaps. Although Wisner played second fiddle to Jaydon Blue at the start of the season, his 100-yard performance against Mississippi State handed him the keys to the backfield. “He’s a very explosive running back and he is very willing to listen to coach Sark and do what coach Sark tells him to do,” Plotkin said.

Gunnar Helm, Tight End, Senior

• The player who leads Texas in receiving yards is Senior Tight End Gunnar Helm. He has 31 receptions for 419 yards and two touchdowns this season. Helm has stepped up in big roles when the team has needed him the most. One example was against No. 25 Vandy when No. 1 receiver Isaiah Bond was out for the fixture. The tight end earned four receptions for 46 yards. “He’s not afraid of the moment,” Plotkin said. “He’s one of the older guys on the team, he’s one of the leaders on the team and Sarkisian knows he has a great weapon in Helm.”

Anthony Hill Jr., Line Backer, Sophomore

• Up next is one of the semifinalists for The Butkus Award, Anthony Hill Jr. The sophomore played a lot as a true freshman and is on track to have a much better year. Hill Jr. has 58 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, a forced fumble, an interception and defended a pass. “He’s super explosive,” Plotkin said. “He just wants to get to the ball; he is super smart.” The Florida offensive line has a lot on their hands if they plan on keeping expected start redshirt freshman Aidan Warner’s jersey clean.

Colin Simmons, Edge Rusher, Freshman

• True freshman Colin Simmons is tearing offensive lines apart. Like Hill Jr. did, Simmons is getting opportunities very early on in his career and making them count. The edge rusher has 15 solo tackles, four sacks and a forced fumble. “He’s only going to go up from here,” Plotkin said. Simmons’ best game was against Mississippi State where he earned seven total tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble which are all career highs.

Five Fast Facts

• Florida has never beaten Texas and is 0-2-1 against the Horns.
• Texas is in its 100^th season playing in Memorial Stadium.
• The Longhorns have given up just three passing touchdowns this season (Two to No. 25 Vanderbilt, one to No. 10 Michigan).
• The last time the Gators had three different starting quarterbacks in the regular season was in 2017 (Feleipe Franks, Malik Zaire, Luke Del Rio).
• This is the first-ever matchup between Texas and Florida in SEC play.

Five Game Day Storylines

Quinn Ewers: How Will He Do?

• Quinn Ewers has had a rough transition back to the game since his injury in Week 3. He played well against No. 18 Oklahoma, but he struggled against No. 5 Georgia completing 58% of his passes and throwing an interception. “People think there is a quarterback controversy between him and Arch Manning,” Plotkin said. “I don’t think there is.” It seemed that Manning got better in each game that he started, capping his two-game starting stint with 325 yards in the air, 33 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in the Horns’ 35-13 win over Mississippi State. Nothing can get a quarterback back on track quite like coming off a bye week and facing an injury-riddled Florida Gators team at home.

Protecting the Quarterback

• No matter who is under center for Texas, the offensive line needs to do a better job protecting him. The Horns gave up seven sacks to No. 5 Georgia at home and four sacks to No. 25 Vanderbilt. Texas is coming off a bye week, the perfect opportunity to tune up the offensive line.

A Friend of a Friend

• Texas defensive back Michael Taaffe’s best friend played with Aidan Warner at Yale last season. “They were locker buddies so I’m going to get the whole scoop,” Taaffe said. Florida fans have something to look forward to though as Warner’s former teammate said, “he can sling it, his arm is phenomenal.”

Injury Woes

• It seems like the Gators cannot catch a break. With Jason Marshall Jr. out for the season and players dropping like flies against No. 2 Georgia, more bad news came out for Florida Tuesday evening as Eugene “Tre” Wilson III is out for the rest of the season. Now, with what seems like a completely new defense and a third-string quarterback, the Orange and Blue have a near-impossible task: Beating the Horns in Texas.

Beating the Odds

• Vegas had gamblers licking their lips when it had Florida at 4.5 wins on the season. Although the Gators are just one win away from beating the odds, the team has faced countless setbacks, especially in the injury department. With four regular season games remaining on the schedule, ESPN Analytics only has Florida winning one more game: Away at Florida State. Gator fans would love to cash their bets and beat their rivals, but it wouldn’t be enough. Florida fans want a winning season, something that doesn’t look attainable from where the Gators currently sit.

Prediction

• Joseph Torviso: Texas 42 – 17
• Lindsey Plotkin: Texas 35 – 7

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