If there was ever a week to record career numbers, it was against No. 7 Texas.

The Florida Gators traveled to Austin knowing they'd have their work cut out for them, especially with how lifeless Jon Sumrall's squad looked in the two games prior.

For whatever reason, a flipped switched against Texas and Florida was able to pull off an unbelievable 27-24 upset, capped off with an Arch Manning fumble to seal the deal.

Junior defensive lineman LJ McCray missed the entire 2025 season, but suddenly he's just one tackle shy of matching his career high.

The Florida native recorded career bests with his 1.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss, and four total tackles, three of which were solo.

Knowing Manning had a chance to be one of the top draft picks heading into next year, Florida did a great job of making him look like just another quarterback, and McCray was a huge part of their success on defense.

To no surprise, McCray's stellar numbers against the now No. 19-ranked Longhorns earned him SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors.

Florida didn't lead this game until late, but it was McCray who came up with a pair of huge plays to help them get the ball back.

After a two-yard tackle for loss followed by a half-sack that resulted in a loss of seven yards, Florida was able to go down the field and take a 20-17 lead.

Officially, this was the program's largest comeback victory against a ranked SEC opponent in a true road game.

McCray's performance was especially noteworthy as he had four tackles against the Longhorns, and that was the exact number he had in his last three games combined. 

He picked up his first sack of the year in the team's 52-3 blowout win vs. Campbell, but to see him do it against Texas proved he's ready for anything.

Defense wins championships, and that could be exactly what gets Florida back in the College Football Playoff conversation.

This team's hopes aren't dead yet, but no one expected their two losses to come against Missouri and South Carolina.

This Texas and Georgia gauntlet seemed like the perfect place for them to drop two straight, but suddenly, wins against both the Longhorns and Bulldogs could be Florida's path to the CFP.

Two-loss teams have made the playoffs before, and taking down the Longhorns and Bulldogs in back-to-back weeks would be impossible to ignore, as long as the Gators then win their four remaining games, which includes No. 12 Kentucky on the schedule.