No. 7 Texas (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) overpowered BYU (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) from start to finish as the Longhorns coasted to a 35-6 home victory over the Cougars Saturday afternoon at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

With the win, Texas picked up its second win over BYU in program history. The Cougars still lead the all-time series 4-2, including two blowout wins before Saturdays’ setback.

Texas redshirt freshman quarterback Maalik Murphy made his first start and threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns in his debut. Murphy replaced Quinn Ewers, who was sidelined with an injury to his throwing shoulder sustained in last week’s win over Houston. The game marked BYU’s third consecutive time facing a backup quarterback.

Murphy had a few shaky moments in the first half with an interception and lost fumble. But before the half was finished, he connected with Adonai Mitchell on a 30-yard touchdown pass, to give the Longhorns’ all the points they really needed since the Cougars struggled to move the ball once again.

ESPN College GameDay 2023: The Best Signs From Salt Lake City

BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis completed 24-of-39 passes for 197 yards with two interceptions. Aidan Robbins led BYU on the ground with 17 carries for 56 yards, while Darius Lassiter posted a team-high five receptions for 75 yards.

Despite the offensive struggles, BYU’s defense showed a lot of fight, posting seven tackles-for-loss, forcing two turnovers of its own, two fourth-down stops while stuffing the Longhorns on two trips inside the 10 yard-line.

Safety Crew Wakley led BYU with nine tackles, including 1.5 tackles-for-loss, a pass breakup and an interception. True freshman Siale Esera notched a career-high eight tackles, including one for loss. AJ Vongphachanh and Blake Mangelson were next on the team with seven tackles a-piece.

While the loss stings for Cougar fans, many were glad the loss at least came against a former BYU player. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian not only played at BYU, but was part of a rich quarterback tradition the Cougars had in the 80s and 90s. Sarkisian was named an All-American and led the Cougars to an NCAA-record 14 wins, including a Cotton Bowl victory and No. 5 ranking to finish the 1996 season.

Here’s how fans and the media reacted after the game:

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ESPN College GameDay 2023: The Best Signs From Salt Lake City

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