Texas Names QB Maalik Murphy Starter for Week 9 Matchup Against BYU

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian named redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy the No. 7 Longhorns' starting quarterback for Saturday's home matchup against BYU.

Murphy, a former four-star recruit out of Gardena, California, filled in for the injured Quinn Ewers in Texas' 31-24 road victory against Houston last Saturday. The 18-year-old completed 1-of-2 passes for seven yards, as Texas relied on running back Jonathan Brooks on the winning touchdown drive.

Ewers went down in the fourth quarter with a sprained AC joint, and returned to the sideline with his right arm in a sling. The Longhorns are hopeful that the 20-year-old can return at some point this season, per Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods.com.

"Today was Maalik's best day of practice since he's been at Texas," Sarkisian told reporters on Thursday.

Arch Manning, the No. 1 overall prospect (per 247Sports) in the class of 2023, will be Murphy's backup. Sarkisian told reporters on Thursday that he has not decided whether Manning will play against the Cougars.

"We have discussed that some because I do think there's some valuable experience in him for that," the 49-year-old said. "I have to make sure that's in the best interest of the team, and I have to make sure that the team comes first in everything that we do."

The Longhorns, at 6-1 (3-1 in the Big 12), are currently a game behind Oklahoma for first-place in the conference, but the Sooners hold the tiebreaker thanks to their 34-30 win in the Red River Rivalry on Oct. 7.

The top two teams in the standings make the Big 12 title game, set for Dec. 2 in Arlington, Texas.

Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Kansas State are tied with Texas at 3-1 in the Big 12, while Kansas, BYU, West Virginia and Baylor are all 2-2 in conference.