Maalik Murphy warming up after Quinn Ewers takes shot vs. Houston

Texas could be dealing with another injured quarterback. Quinn Ewers took a big shot in the third quarter against Houston, lowering his shoulder while attempting to pick up a first down. Not a hit you want to see any player take but especially your quarterback.

At first glance, Ewers looked okay and was able to stay on the field after Texas picked up a fourth down. However, as Houston took possession and attempted to tie the game or take the lead, backup quarterback Maalik Murphy was seen warming up on the sideline.

Maalik Murphy warming up.

— Justin Wells (@justinwells2424) October 21, 2023

Just a few moments later, Murphy took the field before a quick three-and-out from the Texas offense. Ewers was seen heading back to the locker room and looked to be uncomfortable. When going up against the Houston defender, it was the left shoulder of Ewers that took a massive blow.

Eventually, Ewers emerged from the locker room but was in street clothes. His pads had been taken away from him.

Murphy has been the backup quarterback all season but has not been forced to play meaningful snaps until this point. Texas does have true freshman Arch Manning on the bench as well, with head coach Steve Sarkisian having options if he wants.

For the short term, Murphy is going to be the guy Texas relies on as they attempt to escape Houston with a win. Currently in the midst of the fourth quarter, Houston just tied the game up with a field goal at 24 a piece. A big spot for Murphy in a position he has never been in.

Quinn Ewers leaves Houston game amid effective day

Prior to his injury, Ewers was having a nice day against Houston. It was an easy first quarter for Texas, scoring three touchdowns. While the overall offense has struggled since then, the stat sheet sure looked good for Ewers.

He completed 23 of 29 passes, going for 211 yards and two touchdowns. It’s another building block off his solid performance against Oklahoma despite coming out of Dallas with a loss. Moving the ball down the field has not been Texas’ problem this season.

Now, there is an injury situation to worry about for those in Austin. Ewers did miss a good chunk of the 2022 season with a collarbone problem, suffered early in the year against Alabama. Then, it was Hudson Card to replace Ewers and he was somebody with starting experience in Sarkisian’s offense.