Texas Football: What do the Longhorns do IF Quinn Ewers gets hurt?

What if Ewers is out for the rest of a game?

If Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers were to go down with a minor injury and just had to miss the rest of the game, there are certain things needed from an immediate replacement that differ from a long-term one. The goal is to have the ability to execute the current gameplan, i.e., not have to change the offense.

This was a bit of an issue last season with Hudson Card. While Card was proficient in his own right, he excelled in a different type of offense than Ewers. Attempting to make that switch mid-game or even midweek, caused some problems for the offense. Ideally, the backup in this situation would be able to step in and execute the game plan as is. The focus is to not cause a drop off of the other 10 players on the field, limit turnovers, and grind the rest of the game out.

In this scenario, I think it is pretty clear Maalik Murphy would get the nod. Murphy’s strong arm and ability to push the ball down the field are similar to Ewers’ and align with Sark’s offensive vision for this 2023 team. Furthermore, Maalik does have more experience and confidence with the playbook. In theory, he should be more composed when thrust into a situation like this.