Texas Longhorns QB Maalik Murphy Bringing 'Swag' vs. BYU Cougars

Texas Longhorns quarterback Maalik Murphy is set to make his first collegiate start against the BYU Cougars.

Based on the way his teammates talk about him, you'd never think that Texas Longhorns quarterback Maalik Murphy is set to make his first collegiate start on Saturday in Austin against the BYU Cougars.

No. 7 Texas is coming off a 31-24 win over Houston that saw quarterback Quinn Ewers suffer a shoulder injury that could keep him out for the next weeks. In his absence, fans didn't see Murphy do much except hand the ball off and finish 1 of 2 passing for seven yards on two fourth-quarter drives. 

Now, he'll get a full game's worth to show the country why he's been such a hot topic since April's spring game. Regardless of his lack of game experience, Murphy's teammates have already seen everything behind the scenes to be convinced that he's capable of leading the Longhorns.

"That's that Cali swag," Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford said when referring to Murphy's West Coast music choice in the locker room. "I keep saying that swag. I think for Maalik, he has a ton of confidence. I don't think people understand, especially at quarterback, the ability to not let one bad play or even a couple bad plays really kind of affect how he's going to finish the game.

Maalik Murphy / © Sara Diggins, Austin American-Statesman

As a quarterback at Texas - and one that's now being thrown into the spotlight - Murphy will likely be facing some harsh criticisms from fans and analysts even for little mistakes, but it's his ability to block out noise that has impressed Ford the most.

"I think for him, he never really cares about what other people outside of the people on this team really have to say," Ford said. "And then at the end of the day, he's gonna go let it loose. I think that's the best thing about him."

Murphy has some incredible pressure on his shoulders.

- Can he lead the No. 7 team in the country during a do-or-die point of the season?

- Will he be able to shut out the Arch Manning noise?

- Will he live up to the hype?

These are all questions the fans and media are asking as the Longhorns get set to host BYU, but it's the clear the team could care less. Texas remains a confident bunch with Murphy at the helm headed into Saturday's game.

Kickoff at DKR is set for 2:30 p.m. CT.