Behren Morton set as Texas Tech's opening day QB, an injury-plagued role in recent years

Updated Aug. 22, 2024 12:42 p.m. ET

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LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Behren Morton enters the season as Texas Tech's starting quarterback for the first time, while coach Joey McGuire once again hopes an injury doesn't force a long-term need for the backup.

It's been seven years since the Red Raiders made it through their schedule unscathed at the most important position.

Morton was among the injured last year as Tyler Shough's replacement, playing through a shoulder issue that led the coaching staff to shut him down early in spring practice while declaring him the starter.

That was April. Now, Morton is most of the way through fall camp in preparation for the opener Aug. 31 at home against Abilene Christian.

“This is my favorite camp by far,” Morton said. “Being the guy and having full control of the offense has been great. The shoulder’s 100%. I’m not missing a rep. Feel really good.”

Shough never played more than seven games in any of the three seasons he entered as the starter for the Red Raiders. The former Oregon QB transferred to Louisville and is the projected starter there.

Alan Bowman missed multiple weeks each of the three years before Shough, which means Texas Tech goes all the way back to Nic Shimonek in 2017 for the last time the same QB played all 12 regular-season games (Shimonek was the starter in a bowl game that year as well).

McGuire has named West Georgia transfer Cameran Brown the backup, and hinted the Red Raiders might find ways to use the dual-threat QB regardless of Morton's health.

Don't forget the run game

Tahj Brooks decided to return for a final season after rushing for 1,538 yards in 2023. He is 1,167 yards shy of Byron Hanspard’s school record of 4,219 yards from 1994-96.

While Brooks downplayed the role of money from endorsements and name, image and likeness as the reason for a return, he acknowledged that NFL feedback had him going anywhere from the fifth round of the draft to not getting drafted at all.

“I feel like I can come back and be a better Tahj Brooks than I was last year,” Brooks said. “I can put more film on tape, and we can go win games and hopefully win a Big 12 championship.”

Conference shuffling

The Red Raiders aren't in a conference with rival Texas for the first time since 1960, when Texas Tech joined the Southwest Conference. Texas and Oklahoma have moved to the Southeastern Conference.

All but two of the losses in two seasons under McGuire have come before November, which the first-time college head coach figures has to change with the Red Raiders believing they can win the Big 12 as Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado join to make it a 16-team league.

“That’s the question we’ve been searching throughout this offseason because we played well at home and we played well late,” McGuire said. “To get to a fast start, the great thing is we’ve got five of our first seven games are in Lubbock, Texas, and everybody knows it is a really tough place to play.”

Stud recruit

Receiver Micah Hudson, who is from Temple in Central Texas, is a 6-foot freshman with a lot of hype and expected to play right away.

“The ceiling for him, there’s not one,” Morton said. “I’m trying to help him the best I can. It’s a complex offense. Every day is a new 60-play playbook.”

McGuire has noticed the prodding, and lack of coddling.

“Behren has been extremely demanding with Micah,” McGuire said. “It’s fun to watch the interaction in practice. Talking about maturity level, most freshmen could not handle the starting quarterback in their face, saying, ‘This is what was called. This is what we have,’ and respond the way he does.”

The schedule

The Red Raiders are 3-8 on the road under McGuire, which means visits to No. 21 Arizona, TCU and Iowa State in a four-game stretch starting in early October could go a long way toward determining Texas Tech's title hopes.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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