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Why did Maalik Murphy start as Texas QB over Arch Manning?

The Texas Longhorns decided to play redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy as the starting QB against the BYU Cougars in the weekend. And it proved to be a successful decision, as Steve Sarkisian's side dismantled BYU 35-6 and put up a 7-1 overall record as Week 9 came to an end.

As for Quinn Ewers, he continues to rehabilitate following a sprained shoulder during their game against Houston. Both Maalik Murphy and true freshman Arch Manning were in the contest to be the QB1 during Ewers' absence.

But Murphy got the nod of Sarkisian on Thursday, as Manning still awaits his debut on the field. However, there were chatters about the probability of the five-star recruit making his debut in Week 9.


Why did Maalik Murphy start as Texas QB over Arch Manning?

After the win against BYU, Steve Sarkisian opened up about the reasons behind not bringing Arch Manning into the game. According to him, he did not want to disrupt the flow of the offense that Maalik Murphy had created by subbing in a new quarterback in the latter half.

"I wanted to try to find a little more rhythm offensively," Sarkisian said. "We just weren't into the flow that I would have liked. Maybe if we could have punched a couple of those drives in when we got stopped inside the five. But we didn't. To me, it was making sure we had enough rhythm with Maalik in there."

He then explained how this was also a factor in his reluctance to make a committed statement over Manning's debut. Sarkisian did not want to create unnecessary hype and afterward not see it happening on the field.

"That's why I am always hesitant on those things to say, 'Yes, he's going to go in,'" Sarkisian said. "Because now I'm gonna get called a liar that I didn't put him in. I just felt like it just wasn't the right time. So hopefully in the future we do it."

The only time Arch Manning took to the field was during Texas' spring game. Fans are still waiting to see the top-ranked 2023 recruit in action and were hoping that the game against BYU would give them a glimpse of his talents. However, Murphy played through the entire game.

Despite not playing Manning, the Texas Longhorns did not have trouble on the field in terms of scoring. As for Arch, he might be on the road to redshirting his freshman season with the Longhorns.


Maalik Murphy's stats against the BYU Cougars

So far this season, Maalik Murphy has made four appearances with limited time on the field. The game against BYU was his debut as a starter for the Longhorns. And he did not disappoint with his performance.

BYU v Texas
BYU v Texas

The redshirt freshman recorded 170 passing yards and two TD passes to lead his team to a triumphant win in Week 9.

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