As Texas Tech prepares to play tenth-ranked Iowa State, they’ll do so with their starting quarterback.
Behren Morton exited last Saturday’s game against TCU with an injury to his shoulder. But according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, a “strong” showing in practice has given way to his return to the lineup.
“Texas Tech’s Behren Morton to start vs. Iowa St.,” Thamel wrote in a post on X. The injury, as Thamel noted, was to his throwing shoulder. In the span of about three hours, he went from being expected to start to starting, showing positive growth.
Sources: Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton looked strong in practice on Tuesday and is expected to start on Saturday at No. 10 Iowa State. He did not play in the second half last week against TCU with a left shoulder injury. pic.twitter.com/5wgQH8fmWk
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 30, 2024
Sources: Texas Tech’s Behren Morton to start vs. Iowa St. He’s dealing with a shoulder injury in his non-throwing shoulder. https://t.co/zbVEkDts6P
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 30, 2024
The junior Morton has been terrific this season. He’s posted a career-high already in passing yards with 2,063 through eight games this season. He’s completed 63.4 percent of his passes and has thrown 17 touchdowns to three interceptions.
The 5-3 Red Raiders are 3-2 in Big 12 Conference play this season. While Texas Tech ranks in the Top 20 nationally in points per game, they are 123rd of 134 FBS teams in points per game allowed.
Freshman quarterback Will Hammond would likely have taken Morton’s place, but with two games under his belt, it seems like the Red Raiders may look to maintain his redshirt status instead. Hammond was a touted recruit for Texas Tech coming into this season out of Hutto, Texas.
Texas Tech and 10th-ranked Iowa State will kick off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday.
