Sports

Jon Sumrall Embraced The Villain Role With Outfit Accessory Provided By Texas Before Their Own Funeral

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iStockphoto / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Jon Sumrall wore a black cowboy hat after beating Texas.


Jon Sumrall wore a black cowboy hat in Austin after beating Texas. He fully embraced his role as SEC villain.

Florida upset the Longhorns on the road to end a two-game losing skid. Its head coach made a bold statement with his wardrobe choice after the fact.

The bad guy always wears a black hat in cowboy movies.

Color films did not become common until the early-to-mid 1950s. Prior to that changeover, Western American films used a cowboy’s hat to represent the battle between good versus evil.

‘The Great Train Robbery’ was the first silent Western film. It was released in 1903 and revolutionized the connotation of the hat…

White hats denoted heroism… Black hats denoted evil.

Texas gave Jon Sumrall a black cowboy hat.

He was the antagonist on Saturday afternoon in Austin. His Florida Gators were the enemy. Texas treated Sumrall as such by giving him a black hat before kickoff.

This was a game Texas was expected to win. Florida entered as a 12-point underdog. Quarterback Aaron Philo was injured. The Gators started a backup under center. They’d been blown out in two consecutive games.

The Longhorns, meanwhile, were licking their wounds after a loss in the Red River Rivalry. They needed a win. A Florida team in a downward spiral would be a “get-right” foe. Texas would flush the Oklahoma game and resume their playoff pursuit.

No one told Jon Sumrall. He didn’t follow the script.

Florida fell behind by two touchdowns in the first half. A blowout seemed imminent. Then, the Gators got a little momentum.

Texas went for a 4th-and-1 at midfield. It failed. Florida took over on the Longhorns’ side of the 50 and scored a touchdown with under a minute remaining in the first half. It cut the 14-point deficit in half.

The momentum continued after halftime. The Gators scored the next 17 points in the contest to take a 27-17 lead. Texas cut it to three in the fourth quarter, but an Arch Manning fumble on the final possession ended chances of a comeback.

Florida embraced the villain role.

Jon Sumrall led the charge. He wore his black cowboy hat out of the locker room after knocking off the Longhorns.

The loss puts Texas’s SEC Championship and College Football Playoff hopes in serious doubt. The Longhorns have now dropped two conference games. It will be an uphill battle to make the title game.

Florida moved up the standings after getting an unexpected win. They were the enemy in a hostile road environment. The Gators embraced the villain role to leave with a massive upset.