The Longhorns defeated the Gators 27-12 on Oct. 24, improving to 8-0 while handing Florida its fifth loss. Kirk Rose threw three touchdown passes, and the Longhorns defense forced two interceptions and recorded eight sacks.

Richard Brown opened the scoring with a 38-yard field goal. Less than a minute later, Ralph Batiste intercepted Gators quarterback Hubert Durham and returned the ball to the Florida 20. Rose connected with Jeffrey Aguirre for a 12-yard touchdown, and Brown’s extra point made it 10-0.

The Gators answered with a 53-yard field goal, but Batiste intercepted Durham again in the second quarter. Rose converted the turnover into points with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Blake Jones, extending the lead to 17-3. Rose and Aguirre connected for another 14-yard touchdown before halftime, putting the Longhorns ahead 24-3.

Florida made it 24-6 on a field goal just before the break. The Gators missed a 37-yard attempt in the third quarter, and Brown added a 30-yard field goal to give the Longhorns a 27-6 lead. Florida’s Charles Anderson made field goals of 51 and 58 yards in the fourth quarter, but the Gators did not score a touchdown.

Rose finished with 269 passing yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. Aguirre had 32 receiving yards and caught two touchdown passes. Jones, who also scored on a reception, finished with 48 receiving yards and 53 rushing yards. Tight end James Holdsworth added 67 receiving yards.

Durham threw for 288 yards but had two interceptions and no touchdown passes. Melvin Jones led the Gators with 132 receiving yards. Florida was 3-for-15 on third down and had no red-zone touchdowns. The Longhorns had 121 rushing yards and went 3-for-12 on third down.

The Longhorns’ two interceptions helped fuel their early lead, while their eight sacks limited Florida’s scoring to four field goals. Edward Bolin’s team remains atop its division at 4-0; the Gators are 1-1 in division play and 4-4 overall.