The Texas Tech football team started the season with a 67-7 blowout win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Prior to the season, Texas Tech lost running back Quinten Joyner to a season-ending injury. Texas Tech then was without starting OL Cash Cleveland, who transferred from Colorado, as he missed Week 1 but is expected back for the Week 3 tilt vs. Oregon State.
In Week 1, senior quarterback Behren Morton was named the starter once again, and he went 16-of-20 for 201 yards with four touchdowns. Unfortunately, he left the game in the second quarter with a leg injury, putting his status for Week 2 in doubt.
On Friday, just one day before Texas Tech's showdown against Kent State, ESPN's Pete Thamel gave an update on the Red Raiders' signal-caller.
“Source: Texas Tech will start quarterback Behren Morton against Kent State this weekend. He’d been listed as questionable with a leg injury that forced him to leave the opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the second quarter.”
On Thursday, CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello reported that Morton was dealing with a knee hyperextension, but he went through a walkthrough and “looked good.”
Morton, who threw for 3,335 yards with 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2024, was expected to be a massive part of Joey McGuire's team in 2025, so leaving Week 1 early with an injury certainly casted some doubt.
Will Hammond replaced him and went 7-of-9 for 92 yards with a touchdown, and Wake Forest transfer Mitch Griffis also went 2-for-3 for 21 yards and a touchdown in the blowout win.
Texas Tech enters Week 2 as 47.5-point favorite over Kent State, according to Sportsbook Wire, and having Morton is a positive development for the program. In Week 3, the Red Raiders host the Oregon State Beavers in the final game before starting Big 12 Conference play against Utah on the road, so having Morton healthy is of utmost importance.
