The Texas Longhorns (7-1) stayed in the win column on Saturday. The Longhorns earned a comfortable win over the BYU Cougars (5-3) despite an up and down performance from the offense.
The offense was anything but opportunistic on the game. Second-year quarterback Maalik Murphy had big plays, but stopped progress with two big turnovers. One came on a fumble in the red zone.
The team’s red zone woes continued this week. Including Murphy’s inopportune fumble, Texas had multiple failed red zone trips. Nevertheless, the team found a way to win the ugly game and get to 7-1.
Murphy showed some positive traits despite early growing pains. The redshirt sophomore connected twice to imposing Texas receiver Adonai Mitchell for touchdowns. He delivered the ball well under duress and proved capable of leading the team until Quinn Ewers is able to return at the position.
Maalik Murphy finished the game 16-for-25 with 170 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Adonai Mitchell led Texas receivers with three receptions for 59 yards while Jonathon Brooks rushed for 98 yards on 16 carries.
The story of the day was a Texas defense who mauled its opponent for much of the game. Texas forced three turnovers and held BYU to 292 total yards of offense. It was a much needed bounce back performance after a substandard showing last week against Houston.
The Longhorns will next take on the Kansas State Wildcats (6-2) in Austin following the Wildcats’ 41-0 win over Houston.