Murphy gets start with Ewers out
AUSTIN — While No. 7 Texas pulled off a gutsy win at Houston last weekend, the bigger story was the uncertain status of Longhorns starting quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Ewers left the third quarter against UH with an injury to his throwing shoulder after a hard hit.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said on Monday that Ewers is currently week-to-week.
In Ewers’ absence, redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy will take over as QB1.
Here are other takeaways from Sarkisian’s last meeting with the media before Saturday’s game against BYU:
More on Murphy
Although we haven’t seen much of Murphy yet, Sarkisian and Murphy’s teammates seem to be very confident in him.
“I would say today was Maalik’s best practice since he’s been here, “Sarkisian said on Thursday. “And that’s a good thing for us. As the week’s gone on, his game has elevated. His understanding of the game plan has elevated.”
Murphy’s teammates have also praised him for his work ethic.
“He’s the first one in the building and the last one out,” defensive back Michael Taaffe said. “I think everybody would say the same about Maalik. Hands down, one of the hardest workers on the team.”
Murphy led the Longhorns’ last touchdown-scoring drive against UH. He also participated in Texas’ games against Rice, Baylor and Kansas this season. Murphy did not play in the 2022 campaign.
Will Manning play?
Murphy’s elevation to first-string quarterback makes Arch Manning his backup.
Sarkisian would not confirm to reporters if Manning is supposed to play on Saturday, but he did say that he and his staff had discussed the possibility.
“I haven’t made a decision on if I want to get Arch in there just to get him in there or not,” Sarkisian said. “But we have discussed that some because I do think there’s some valuable experience for him in that. But, I have to make sure that that’s in the best interest of the team.”
So yes, the possibility of Manning suiting up for the first time in burnt orange this Saturday is real.
BYU connection
Saturday’s game against BYU may hold some extra meaning for Sarkisian, given the fact that he’s coaching against some of his former teammates at his former school. Sarkisian played with BYU head coach Kalani Sitake and BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick during his two seasons in Provo.
“Naturally my relationship with Kalani (Sitake) is one that I cherish,” Sarkisian said. “We definitely talk and share ideas and thoughts and different things. This isn’t just since my time here [at Texas], this has been going on here for the last couple of decades.”
Sarkisian was BYU’s quarterback in the 1995 and 1996 seasons. In his last year with the Cougars, he led BYU to a 41-37 upset win over Texas A&M in the season opener. BYU ended the season with a 19-15 win over Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl Classic and a No. 5 ranking in the AP poll.
“I jokingly said I would never have recruited myself as a player after watching the way I play,” he said. “But you know, some great memories. I will say that we had a heck of a team my senior year and I had some awesome, awesome teammates and some great coaches.”
Injury updates
Along with Ewers, sophomore EDGE Ethan Burke is also week-to-week. Defensive back Ryan Watts should be set to return this week. Defensive lineman Alfred Collins, defensive backs Gavin Holmes and Terrance Brooks, offensive lineman Cole Hutson and linebacker Jett Bush “will be available” on Saturday, per Sarkisian.
Secondary test
BYU receivers Chase Roberts and Darius Lassiter have combined for eight touchdown catches and the Texas secondary has been shaky the last two games. If Roberts and Lassiter can find early connections with Kedon Slovis, the Cougars could trade punches with Texas.