Previewing BYU at No. 7 Texas with a Texas Insider

BYU faces its toughest challenge of the season on Friday in a road game at no. 7 Texas. We caught up with Matthew Galatzan of Longhorns Country to preview the Cougars and the Longhorns.

1. How would you describe the state of this Texas football team at this point in the season?

I think that despite the injury to Quinn Ewers and the loss to Oklahoma, they are in a great spot. The culture is rock solid, the players the coaches and are 1,000 percent bought in. Sark has created something potentially very special in Austin.

2. How will the Texas' offense look different under Maalik Murphy than it has this season with Quinn Ewers?
Maalik was named the starter Thursday morning. With that said, I don’t think the offense changes all that much. Sure, they will try and do things that fit to his strengths - he has the best arm on the team by a mile, for example. Either way I expect them to feed Jonathon Brooks and Cedric Baxter early and often.
3. Is there a path to Arch Manning making his first start?
Murphy is starting. Manning may see the field, but Sarkisian said on Thursday that he hasn’t made a decision there yet, so we will see. I do know that he is very happy with the development of Manning and has raved about how prepared he is, should he be called upon. But for now, I wouldn’t expect him unless Murphy gets injured or it turns into a blowout.
4. Was the Houston game a one-off or did Houston create a blueprint to play Texas competitively?
I think it was a one-off. Texas came out on fire and then took their foot off the gas. It was a learning experience, and nothing more in my opinion. It will help to get a slew of injured players back this weekend as well.
5. If you were BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill, how would you go about defending this explosive Texas offense?
Get after Maalik Murphy early and often. Make them one dimensional and force the young QB to make mistakes. Texas has a great offensive line, but if you can rattle Murphy early, things could get weird.
6. BYU has been inconsistent on offense this season. Are there any weaknesses on defense that BYU can try to exploit?

Texas has been beat up in the secondary for the last few weeks, as was obvious during the Houston game. Ryan Watts is going to be back, but that doesn’t mean they are totally healthy. Jalen Catalon is likely out, and Gavin Holmes and Terrance Brooks are banged up. The Cougars have to try and exploit that.
7. BYU fans are known for travelling well to visiting stadiums. What are the must-do things that BYU fans should experience on a Texas gameday?
I would say Scholz Garten is my favorite. Great spot for a pre-game tailgate down the street from the stadium. Outside of that, the drag in front of the stadium is also packed with things to enjoy.

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