Joel Klatt gives his preview, score prediction for Texas-Florida
By Jyesha Nance
Published:
The Florida Gators will host the No. 9 Texas Longhorns on Saturday for an SEC showdown in Gainesville, Florida. For Texas, the trip to The Swamp provides an opportunity to build on its 3-1 record and notch its first SEC win. Meanwhile, Florida enters the contest at 1-3, desperate to reverse course after a rocky start to the 2025 campaign and equally hungry for their first SEC victory.
Home-field advantage hasn’t been much of a factor for the Gators this season. Billy Napier‘s squad is just 1-1 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, and Saturday’s clash with the Longhorns will mark their toughest home test yet. Florida faces a pivotal moment in its season: Find a spark against a top-10 opponent or risk falling into a deeper hole.
On Thursday, FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt broke down the game, which he thinks will highlight the defensive strengths of both programs.
“Texas at Florida, classic trap game. Got to love this. Two really good defenses in this one,” said Klatt. “Texas’s defense has only allowed 4 touchdowns total on the year, while Florida’s defense has only allowed 5.”
The difference-maker in the game will be which team can score the most points and possibly jump out earlier than the other. Both teams have struggled to find consistency, and Klatt emphasized that whichever offense establishes itself early will dictate the game.
“My question would be, which offense is going to get going?” Klatt said. “Even though both of these offenses have struggled, I would say that the one that I think can break out would be Texas. I think there [are] elements they can lean on. I do think Arch [Manning] can play better. Remember, this is going to be his second road environment that he’s faced this season. I’ll just put it this way: Florida’s defense is not better than Ohio State’s defense.”
Ultimately, Klatt predicted a low-scoring contest, with the Longhorns pulling away with the win.
“If they [Texas] score 3 touchdowns, Florida doesn’t really have a chance,” said Klatt. “I get it, they’re at home, but that’s alright. South Florida went in there and won. Texas is going to cover the 6.5 [points]. I’ve got them winning this game 21-12.”
Kickoff between the 2 sides is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The 6.5-point spread Klatt mentioned was an earlier number from during the week. At the time of publication, Texas was down to a 4.5-point favorite, per DraftKings.
