Florida Gators lose to Oklahoma 23-7 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

Florida fell to Oklahoma 23-7 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday night, suffering its second consecutive double-digit loss and dropping to 5-4 overall and 3-4 in SEC play.

The defeat leaves the Gators one win shy of bowl eligibility with three regular-season games remaining. “There’s nothing I can say that’s going to make it better today,” head coach Jon Sumrall said after the program absorbed its fourth loss in five games.

Tramell Jones Jr. Reacts to Oklahoma Loss | Florida Gators Football

Looking to reset after a 27-8 loss to Georgia, Florida handed sophomore quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. his first home start. Jones completed 10 of 22 passes for 133 yards and threw two interceptions, while getting sacked three times by an aggressive Oklahoma defense.

“We never could find our rhythm, some of that was the things going around the quarterback,” Sumrall said, noting he wanted to give Jones the full game despite a few missed reads.

Noah Schlicksup gives his final thoughts from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium after Florida’s 23-7 loss to Oklahoma.#FloridaGators @SchlickSports pic.twitter.com/SkNyR8R4nf

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Jones pointed to third-down execution and self-inflicted mistakes as primary culprits. “We just got to sustain drives, finish on third down and it’ll move on from there,” he said after the game.

In the third quarter, Jones targeted Eric Singleton Jr. in the end zone, but Oklahoma defensive back Courtland Guillory intercepted the pass. Trailing 13-7 later in the contest, Sumrall bypassed a field-goal attempt on fourth-and-short to chase a touchdown.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Florida Gators | Full Game Highlights | ESPN College Football

“Felt like with us down six, kicking a field goal when we hadn’t had that many trips down there, we needed to try to get a touchdown there,” Sumrall explained regarding his decision to go for it on fourth down.

Running back Jadan Baugh provided a bright spot on the ground, carrying eight times for 35 yards and punching in a rushing touchdown. The score marked Baugh’s 14th of the season, tying the most by a Gator since Tim Tebow’s 14 in 2009.