Steve Sarkisian will tailor a gameplan for Maalik Murphy, but still plans to "run our stuff"

Even with a new quarterback (or potentially two) taking snaps this Saturday for the Longhorns, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian largely wants to run the same stuff.

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Sarkisian said Thursday via Zoom he recruits players to Texas who fit his system, something that especially holds true at quarterback. Maalik Murphy, who is making his first career start versus BYU on Saturday and possesses what teammates described as a “rocket arm,” is able to push the ball downfield as part of Sarkisian’s propensity to run play-action shot plays. He can also make his hands quick enough to effectively run-pass options.

So while Texas is going to run its system versus BYU, Sarkisian said he’ll call plays that cater to Murphy’s strengths, and do the same for Arch Manning should he see any action.

“I think both Maalik and Arch are great fits for us schematically,” Sarkisian said. “Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses, and our job is to try to play to their strengths. We’re going to run our stuff but tailor some things to what Maalik does well.”

Sarkisian understands that not everything may be simple for Murphy on Saturday despite his advice to “let the easy things be easy.” He’s not expecting for Murphy to be right all the time in his first career start, and knows there’s a possibility that Murphy could hit a wall for a stretch.

If Murphy does get out of sorts, Sarkisian has a plan to get him on track.

“If he does get out of rhythm, how do I do a good job of trying to get him back into rhythm?” Sarkisian said. “That could be utilizing the run game. That could be utilizing some advantage throws. That could be moving the pocket. There’s a variety of things that we could do there to get him back into rhythm if he does get out of it.

“Inevitably, I don’t expect Maalik to go out Saturday and play perfect. That wouldn’t be realistic. What we try to do is put him in the best position to have success, then navigate our way through the ebb and flow of a football game, which is how every game goes.”

Sarkisian also mentioned he doesn’t want Murphy to be seeing ghosts on the field.

“What I try to gauge is, is he’s seeing what he’s supposed to be seeing?” Sarkisian said. “Are his eyes where they’re supposed to be? Can he get fooled on coverages? Of course he can. Can he get fooled on RPOs? Of course he can. But as long as he can tell me what he saw and why, then I’m okay.”

Quarterbacks have more than just offensive responsibilities. They also are looked to as leaders on and off the field. Based off comments from Texas players on Monday, Murphy was ready to lead versus Houston and is working to be ready for the same moment on Saturday.

Coaches can help the quarterback in a variety of ways, but teammates can help in ways coaches can’t. Sarkisian’s comments indicated how Murphy working throughout the week in preparation for his first outing as QB1 has earned respect from other Longhorns, and he hopes that inspires them to perform for Murphy against BYU just as they would for Ewers.

“I think their teammates want these guys to play well if and/or when they’re number is called,” Sarkisian “Naturally, all the players know Maalik is making his first career start. We need to play well around him.”

Texas quarterbacks in their first career starts since 2006

Quarterback	Year	Opponent	Result	Stats
Quinn Ewers	2022	Louisiana-Monroe	52-10 W	16-for-24, 225 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Casey Thompson	2021	Rice	58-0 W	15-for-18, 164 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Hudson Card	2021	Louisiana	38-18 W	14-for-21, 224 yards, 2 TD, 1 rushing TD
Sam Ehlinger	2017	San Jose State	56-0 W	15-for-27, 222 yards, 1 TD
Shane Buechele	2016	Notre Dame	50-47 W	16-for-26, 280 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 1 rushing TD
Jerrod Heard	2015	Rice	42-28 W	4-for-7, 120 yards, 2 TD, 9 carries, 91 yards
Tyrone Swoopes	2014	BYU	41-7 L	20-for-31, 176 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Case McCoy	2011	at UCLA	49-20 W	12-for-15, 168 yards, 2 TD
David Ash	2011	Oklahoma State	38-26 L	22-for-40, 139 yards, 2 INT
Garrett Gilbert	2010	at Rice	34-17 W	14-for-23, 172 yards
Colt McCoy	2006	North Texas	56-7 W	12-for-19, 178 yards, 3 TD, 1 rushing TD

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Sarkisian was asked specifically about the above group.

“I think all those guys will be available. I think that’s the best way for us to state it. Sounds like you were reading off all the guys in the training room after the Houston game. I credit our training staff and their position coaches and those players individually for doing what they needed to do on an individual basis to put themselves in a position to be available. Naturally, when Saturday rolls around, a lot of those guys I’m going to be monitoring closely, whether it’s in pregame as well as in-game making sure they’re putting us as a team in the best position to have success, but also for their own well-being.”