Steve Sarkisian Talks Texas Longhorns QB 'Balancing Act' With Quinn Ewers Injury
It may feel like spring ball all over again in Austin, as the eyes of college football are all turning their attention to No. 7 Texas' quarterback situation.
We are now three weeks removed from Quinn Ewers going down against Houston late in the game, thus thrusting redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy into the starting role.
While the California native has led Texas to a 2-0 record in Ewers' absence, this past weekend's showing against Kansas State has many worried about whether or not Murphy can continue to lead the team down the stretch.
Through the two games, Murphy has gone 35-of-62 (56%) for 418 yards, while throwing three touchdowns and interceptions. There is a chance that Ewers returns, but Steve Sarkisian expressed to the media that he still wants to ensure that Murphy or even Arch Manning are ready if their number is called.
"And Arch, too. It's a balancing act," Sarkisian said. We try to be mindful of how many reps, what plays are they repping so that they're getting quality opportunities to develop their own skill set, and who are they repping their plays with. There's a balancing act to all of that. Myself and Coach Milwee try to manage that, and then we monitor that in practice."
Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy
© Scott Wachter, USA TODAY
Through nine games of the season, Ewers and Murphy are the only quarterbacks who have seen action and attempted a pass.
Manning, while fans have been calling for him every time Texas has a large lead, hasn't had the right situation to be inserted into the game according to Sarkisian.
The Longhorns don't yet know who will be behind center for their Saturday matchup against TCU, but they are favored by 10 points according to ESPN, over last year's title runner-up.
