Behren Morton (born January 17, 2002) is an American football quarterback for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
| Texas Tech Red Raiders – No. 2 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 17, 2002 Eastland, Texas, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| Bowl games |
|
| High school | Eastland (Eastland, Texas) |
Early life
editMorton grew up in Eastland, Texas and attended Eastland High School, where his father is the head football coach.[1] He became the starting quarterback for the Mavericks as a freshman.[2] Morton was named the MVP of District 5-3A after he passed for 2,435 yards and 18 touchdowns with four interceptions and rushed for 146 yards and four touchdowns.[3] He repeated as the District 5-3A MVP in his junior season after passing for 2,766 yards and 29 touchdowns.[4] As a senior, Morton passed for 3,613 yards with 37 touchdowns against six interceptions and also rushed for 893 yards and 19 touchdowns and was named the District 5-3A MVP for a third straight season.[5] Morton was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Texas Tech over offers from Baylor, SMU, TCU, and Texas A&M.[6]
College career
editMorton played in two games as a true freshman before redshirting the season.[7] He entered his redshirt freshman season as the Red Raiders' third-string quarterback behind starter Tyler Shough and Donovan Smith.[8] Morton saw playing time in four of the team's first five games before being named Texas Tech's starting quarterback after both Shough and Smith suffered injuries.[9] He completed 39 of 62 passes for 379 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and rushed 16 times for 46 yards and one touchdown in his first career start, a 41–31 loss to seventh-ranked Oklahoma State.[10][11] Morton started the team's following game against West Virginia. He finished the game with 325 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 48–10 win and was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.[12]
Morton began the 2023 season as the Red Raiders' backup, but became the team's starter after Shough fractured his fibula in week 4 against West Virginia.[13][14][15] In week 6, against Baylor, Morton threw for a career-high three touchdown passes and rushed for another as Texas Tech won 39–14.[16] In week 7, against Kansas State, Morton exited the game with an undisclosed injury.[17] Morton, who took several big hits in the first half, had been dealing with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder since taking over the starting QB position.[18] Morton would return two games later and lead the Red Raiders to an appearance in the Independence Bowl against California. Texas Tech would win 34–14 with Morton throwing for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns, and would be named the game's offensive MVP.[19]
Prior to the 2024 season, Morton was shut down in spring practices so he could fully recover; in July Morton announced that he was fully recovered, having seen several specialists throughout the spring for his shoulder.[20] On August 22, 2024, Morton was officially announced as the Red Raiders' opening day starter.[21]
Statistics
edit| Year | GP | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| Texas Tech Red Raiders | |||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 33.3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 33.3 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 |
| 2022 | 9 | 96 | 169 | 56.8 | 1,117 | 6.6 | 7 | 6 | 118.9 | 42 | 79 | 1.9 | 2 |
| 2023 | 10 | 182 | 293 | 62.1 | 1,754 | 6.0 | 15 | 8 | 123.8 | 46 | 3 | 0.1 | 4 |
| 2024 | 10 | 230 | 372 | 61.8 | 2,575 | 6.9 | 21 | 6 | 135.4 | 46 | -21 | -0.5 | 1 |
| Career | 31 | 509 | 837 | 60.8 | 5,449 | 6.5 | 43 | 20 | 127.7 | 136 | 76 | 0.6 | 7 |
References
edit- ^ "Eastland quarterback Behren Morton signs with Texas Tech". Abilene Reporter-News. December 16, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ Garcia, Stephen (August 26, 2019). "Eastland quarterback Behren Morton balances team, college goals as recruitment gains steam". Abilene Reporter-News. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ "Eastland balances youth, seniority to break through to 3rd round". Abilene Reporter-News. November 28, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ Clare, Matt (August 26, 2020). "4-stars for QB commit Morton". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ LeRoy, Oscar (December 16, 2020). "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Morton highlights Texas Tech signing class". Midland Reporter-Telegram. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ "Top quarterback prospect Morton commits to Red Raiders". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ "Texas Tech QB outlook for 2022: Red Raiders' depth and Zach Kittley are promising duo". The Dallas Morning News. February 9, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ "Eastland grad Morton throws TD pass in Texas Tech football win". Abilene Reporter-News. September 10, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ "Behren Morton to make first start as Texas Tech quarterback". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.|
- ^ "OSU football 'pressured and confused' Texas Tech QB Behren Morton". The Oklahoman. October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ "'Behren Morton is gonna be a very special QB': Fans react as Texas Tech QB shines in loss". The Dallas Morning News. October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ "Seniors and Freshmen Earn Week 8 Football Awards". Big 12 Conference. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- ^ Giese, Nathan (September 23, 2023). "Tyler Shough leaves Texas Tech football game with injury against West Virginia". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ Straka, Dean (September 23, 2023). "Tyler Shough injury: Texas Tech starting QB suffered fractured fibula in loss to West Virginia, per reports". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
- ^ "Texas Tech QB Tyler Shough suffered broken fibula vs. WVU, will need surgery: Source". The Athletic. September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
- ^ "Texas Tech beats Baylor 39-14 with 4 TDs by Morton and Brooks' fourth 100-yard rushing game in row". Associated Press. October 7, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ Giese, Nathan (October 14, 2023). "Observations from Texas Tech's football's 38-21 loss against Kansas State". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ Williams, Don (October 14, 2023). "Texas Tech football QB Behren Morton leaves game against Kansas State". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ @JustinApod (December 17, 2023). "Behren Morton and Jacob Rodriguez take home the Offensive MVP and Defensive MVP of the Independence Bowl" (Tweet). Retrieved December 17, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Texas Tech QB Behren Morton says he's fully recovered from shoulder injury". Dallas Morning News. July 9, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ "Behren Morton set as Texas Tech's opening day QB, an injury-plagued role in recent years". Associated Press. August 22, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.