A debut that exceeded anyone's expectations

He occasionally played at a time when most fans were filing out of the stadium. They didn’t care to take the time to look, to search for the details in his decisions or notice the little extra zip on his passes, the quickness as he evaded the rush and scurried out of bounds.

Until Saturday, Behren Morton anonymously played when the credits rolled. The game was over one way or another. A year ago, the true freshman Texas Tech quarterback took a few snaps in a win over Kansas, and threw three passes and rushed for 15 yards in a loss to Oklahoma State.

Hey, the coaches were just throwing the kid a bone, right?

In the 2022 opener against outmatched Murray State, Morton played all of the fourth quarter. Playing along with other reserves, he was 7 out of 10 for 97 yards and a touchdown to go along with an interception.

In mop-up duty, his quick feet were noticeable as were the pocket presence, the arm, the command he seemed to have. It was like he had been a quarterback all his life, which basically he has been.

Morton was third-team quarterback behind Tyler Shough and Donovan Smith. No one seemed to argue. Practices through a year ago, the spring and this fall seemed to indicate a particular pecking order.

When Shough injured his clavicle in the first quarter of the opener, it became the Smith Show. As expected, he was up and down. He showed promise and poise, as well as hesitancy and inaccuracy.

A quarterback does not beat Texas in overtime without showing off some talent. Yet, there was some inconsistencies in losses to North Carolina State and Kansas State – both ranked teams on the road – that seemed to frustrate Tech head coach Joey McGuire and offensive coordinator Zach Kittley to the point of – why not?

Why not give the four-star recruit from Class 3A Eastland, 55 miles east of Abilene, a shot? This time not in mop-up duty, but from the opening kickoff when he’s surrounded by starters. Maybe it’s time to take the training wheels off.

It was a tough environment – on the road against the No. 7 team in the country. Playing at home against Directional U. would have been a much smoother indoctrination. The schedule, however, didn’t allow for that.

Morton’s performance Saturday afternoon had to have exceeded anyone’s expectations. He was 39 of 62 for 379 yards, two touchdown passes and one interception. He also scrambled and zone-read his way to 46 rushing yards.

That led the way for 527 total offensive yards, 32 first downs and 31 points. Tech couldn’t quite match Oklahoma State’s output, ultimately falling, 41-31, in a frenzied back-and-forth game.

Morton appeared to injure his ankle when he was tackled low while throwing on a rollout with 2:15 left in the first half. By then, he was 22 of 36 for 204 yards and rushed for 45. He limped when he walked from that point and it affected his mobility, but the potential was obvious.

When OSU coach Mike Gundy asked in the post-game press conference what year the Tech quarterback was, he was told Morton was a redshirt freshman.

“Well, that’s not good,” Gundy said.

So what is there going forward for the 3-3 Red Raiders, who are 1-2 in the Big 12? They have a bye this week to sort things out, but Shough likely is back practicing. There’s a feeling coaches may go with him especially if he has solid practices. There was a reason he was the apparent clear No. 1 quarterback to start the season.

If true, Shough, the senior, might be the present, though one on a short leash. Morton is the future. He would be the most West Texan QB to start for Tech since Cody Hodges of Hereford led the Red Raiders to the Cotton Bowl in 2005.

Morton’s dad is James, the head coach at Eastland. His first head coaching job was at Friona in the 1990s where he led the Chieftains to a semifinal berth. He’s been the head coach at Lubbock Monterey and Midland Lee. Behren went to a number of Tech games as a boy.

Suni, his mother, is from Groom in the Texas Panhandle. Both went to West Texas State where Morton was a fullback. Behren’s unusual first name is from the late Jerry Behrens of Canyon. Behrens was an old high school coach who later had a high school graduation business. He was a wise and funny man, who long ago befriended James. No doubt, he would have been busting his buttons watching his namesake Saturday.

Not to discount what Smith has done, but he looks like a good athlete trying to play quarterback, which has done well from time to time. But Smith had one year as a quarterback at Frenship High School before Tech. Prior to that he was a receiver.

Morton looks made for the position. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, though that seems 15 pounds generous. His arm is a strong one, and he has some intangibles that seemed either coached into him from a lifetime of playing behind center or instinctive.

Morton is the future of the position. It could be the rest of October and November or beginning in 2023. Either way, Tech may have something.

Jon Mark Beilue is a 1981 graduate of Texas Tech. He has been writing about Red Raiders sports for five decades.