Arch Manning vs. Maalik Murphy for Longhorns' Backup QB? 'We'll Find Out' Says Sarkisian

Steve Sarkisian has yet to announce the backup quarterback to Quinn Ewers for the season opener vs. Rice.

Matt Galatzan | Aug 31, 2023

Arch Manning vs. Maalik Murphy for Longhorns' Backup QB? 'We'll Find Out' Says Sarkisian /

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Texas Longhorns

AUSTIN - The Texas Longhorns are set to take on the Rice Owls in their season opener on Saturday afternoon at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

While most of the position battles seem set, there is one glaring omission to that equation - the backup quarterback to Quinn Ewers.

And on Thursday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked for an update on just that. However instead of giving any insight, he all but declined to answer telling the media that "We'll find out" on Saturday.

Of course, barring a disaster of some kind with Ewers, the impact of this decision will likely be minimal, and should everything go as expected on Saturday, both will surely see the field.

Based on their respective performances in the spring game and the overall experience comparison, Murphy had seemed like a runaway favorite to be the QB2 behind Ewers.

He finished that Orange-White game going 9 of 13 passing for 165 yards and one touchdown, which was highlighted by a beautiful 79-yard touchdown to freshman receiver Johntay Cook.

Murphy being the QB2 still remains the most likely outcome, but Sarkisian may not be wanting to show his cards just yet for a game where the backups will likely get tons of reps.

However, Sark has noted in recent weeks how much Manning has improved since the spring. And given the reviews from fall camp, he could be making a serious push.

Luckily, fans won't have to wait much longer to see the answer for themselves. Texas and Rice kickoff on Saturday from DKR at 2:30 p.m. CT.

Published Aug 31, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.