Eight weeks into the season and Texas has finally succumbed to the physicality and pressure that comes with college football. Three crucial players exited the field on Saturday with injuries, including starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, leaving head coach Steve Sarkisian to begin formulating a backup plan for this weekend’s home matchup against a 5–2 BYU team.
Besides Ewers, sophomore edge Ethan Burke and senior defensive back Jalen Catalon both recorded injuries that are being monitored on a week-by-week basis and aren’t expected to see action against BYU. Both have served as key defensive forces, having a combined total of 37 tackles on the season, including seven tackles for loss and three sacks.
Fans got a preview of what to expect from the Longhorns without Ewers in their game against Houston, as redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy took his place during the final quarter. While his statistics may not compare to Ewers’, the California native could still pull Texas out of the trenches, so long as the rest of the team follows his lead.
Murphy has been a loyal team player after coming in as part of Texas’ 2022 recruiting class and immediately being cast in the shadow of Ewers for the starting position. Similar to how running back Jonathon Brooks is now receiving his well-deserved recognition after Bijan Robinson got drafted into the NFL, this might be the perfect opportunity for Murphy to show that he’s capable of taking care of the ball. Even though Murphy stands at 6 feet, 5 inches and weighs 238 lbs, Murphy has been praised for his ability to throw rather than his dominating stature in the quarterback room.
“Maalik is a natural passer,” Sarkisian said. “He throws a very beautiful ball and I think there’s not a throw that he can’t make.”
A strong offensive performance will especially be needed going up against BYU, who forced five turnovers in its latest matchup against Texas Tech and held the Raiders scoreless for the first and third quarters. While BYU sits unranked in the AP polls and No. 7 in the Big 12, the possibility of another nail-biter of a game isn’t completely out of the picture; The Cougars have claimed only one extra loss than the Longhorns.
It seems that all season Texas has been playing down to the level of its opponent, just scraping by teams who should’ve warranted an easy victory for the Longhorns. In what started as a potential blowout, Texas managed to allow an unranked Houston to tie up the score 21-21, winning the game by a touchdown made with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. BYU will surely bring an offense looking to capitalize on every chance to get points on the board and make a statement win in its first year in the conference.
Sarkisian has boasted countless times about how Texas is a versatile team and now that may be the one thing that keeps them in the race for a playoff appearance. He must devise a simple yet effective plan for Murphy to execute in his first career start on Saturday and Sarkisian’s adamant faith in his players bodes that it’s not time to panic, yet.
“That’s the beauty of this team, that’s the beauty of having depth, that’s the beauty of having the ability to have the next guy step in and fill those shoes,” Sarkisian said. “That’s a real positive for us, there.”
