Maalik Murphy 'Didn't Shock' Texas Longhorns After 'Poised' Play vs. Houston Cougars

Texas Longhorns quarterback Maalik Murphy only attempted two passes in Saturday's win over the Houston Cougars, but he looked steady while quarterbacking the offense on the game-winning drive.

The Texas Longhorns were smiling with relief following Saturday's thrilling 31-24 win over the Houston Cougars at TDECU Field, but all the happiness was mixed with concern after the injury to quarterback Quinn Ewers.

After leading No. 8 Texas (5-1) on an 11-play scoring drive that ended in a field goal to give the Longhorns a 24-21 lead, Ewers exited into the medical tent and eventually the locker room. He didn't return to the game and was later seen on the sideline with a sling on his throwing arm. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian called it a shoulder injury.

Longhorns quarterback Maalik Murphy entered and only attempted two passes in the win over the Cougars (3-3), but looked steady while quarterbacking the offense for two possessions, including the game-winning drive.

Despite finishing the game just 1 of 2 passing for seven yards, Murphy earned praise from the team afterwards. 

"He played his a** off," Texas defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat said. "It didn't shock me. That's him."

“I thought Maalik showed great poise and composure," Sarkisian said.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Maalik Murphy (6) looks to pass the ball during the fourth quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium / © Maria Lysaker, USA TODAY

Murphy got two drives under his belt, though it was clear that Sarkisian wasn't keen on putting the game in his quarterback's hands on short notice. While Sark has praised Murphy for his growth, asking him to put the ball in the air with the game on the line might not have been fair, especially with Jonathon Brooks continuing to grind out yardage from the backfield.

This ended up being the right call, as the Longhorns used four runs for 30 yards from Brooks and the go-ahead 16-yard touchdown run from Baxter to help seal the win. Had Texas been in a passing situation, Murphy would've gotten his chance to shine, but the running game worked too well late to risk a costly interception from the young signal-caller, who completed a seven-yard pass to Jordan Whittington on the drive.

Murphy has now quarterbacked five drives in his college career, and remains unproven in a real game. Texas fans saw him go 9 of 13 passing for 165 yards and one touchdown during the Orange-White scrimmage in April, but he had yet to be put under real pressure until Saturday's win.

Luckily for Murphy, he could get multiple chances to prove himself in the coming weeks if Ewers misses multiple games. His injury doesn't have a timetable right now, though the sling he had on after the game creates some serious doubt about his availability for Saturday's home game against BYU and beyond.