Tag: Behren Morton

Behren Morton dealing with a lingering shoulder issue

Morton’s AC joint injury occurred in the loss to West Virginia three weeks ago.

Saturday night against Kansas State, the Red Raiders went into the locker room down 17-14. When they emerged from the tunnel to begin the second half, starting quarterback Behren Morton wasn’t the one leading the team back onto the field. Texas Tech turned to true freshman Jake Strong.

Morton had suffered a sprained AC joint injury against West Virginia. That same game saw Tyler Shough fracture his fibula. Morton has been treating the injury during the week to save his arm for gamedays. Head coach Joey McGuire discussed the injury and mental state of the young gunslinger on Saturday.

“He was pretty emotional when he came in at halftime,” Joey McGuire said, “because he didn’t want to let anybody down. But in a situation like that, you want to protect your guy and make sure he can protect himself. We just didn’t feel like he could.”

The Red Raiders program has had a bad run of luck at the quarterback position in recent history. The team has been forced to use three or more quarterbacks in each of the last three seasons. In 2020 they used just two in the shortened season.

As Tech faced just a three-point deficit at the half and using a true freshman quarterback, you would think the team would lean on the run game. That wasn’t the case at all as Strong threw the ball 28 times resulting in one touchdown to three interceptions. The game quickly unraveled and the Wildcats were able to bury the Red Raiders.

Given that Tech has one of the better running backs in the conference, it was disheartening to see offensive coordinator Zach Kittley dial up the passing game. Tahj Brooks would carry the ball only 17 times in this game, which went for 5.8 yards per carry.

There is still a chance that Morton could return as the starter for the matchup against BYU in Provo. Still, the team should lean on Brooks whenever they can. This year the Cougars are a bottom five rushing defense in the Big 12. It should be Tahj time on Saturday.

Updated Big 12 QBR standings after Week 6 action

Dillon Gabriel, Behren Morton have the two-best performances of the week according to ESPN’s QBR.

10 of the 14 Big 12 teams were in action during Week 6 spanning over 10 games. The biggest featured the Oklahoma Sooners taking on the Texas Longhorns. The two quarterbacks ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the QBR metric from ESPN.

The duo produced two of the three best performances of the week sandwiched around Behren Morton of Texas Tech. It was Morton’s fourth appearance and second start since taking over for an injured Tyler Shough early against West Virginia. The Red Raiders have won both starts by a combined 88-42 margin. His performance helped the offense put the game away against Baylor and even their record.

The Kansas Jayhawks once again turned to backup Jason Bean in their matchup against UCF. He didn’t qualify for QBR after throwing just 12 passes in the game as KU ran all over the Knights’ defense. Both Chandler Morris and Josh Hoover saw action for the TCU Horned Frogs in a losing effort against Iowa State.

Week 6 QBR results:

QB School QBR Team Result
Dillon Gabriel Oklahoma 92.8 W vs Texas
Behren Morton Texas Tech 80.8 W at Baylor
Quinn Ewers Texas 75.9 L vs Oklahoma
Alan Bowman Oklahoma State 68.5 W vs Kansas State
Rocco Becht Iowa State 52.8 W vs TCU
Will Howard Kansas State 42.4 L vs Oklahoma State
Chandler Morris TCU 23.0 L vs Iowa State
Timmy McClain UCF 22.5 L vs Kansas
Blake Shapen Baylor 16.4 L vs Texas Tech
Josh Hoover TCU 15.2 L vs Iowa State

Updated Season Rankings:

Rank Quarterback Team QBR Last Week’s QBR (Ranking)
1 Dillon Gabriel Oklahoma 91.0 89.4 (No. 1)
2 Quinn Ewers Texas 81.1 82.9 (No. 2)
3 Chandler Morris TCU 74.3 78.8 (No. 4)
4 Will Howard Kansas State 69.4 76.3 (No. 5)
5 Kedon Slovis BYU 64.9 63.3 (No. 10)
6 Garrett Greene West Virginia 64.7 64.7 (No. 9)
7 Rocco Becht Iowa State 64.7 62.0 (No. 8)
8 Donovan Smith Houston 64.4 65.8 (No. 7)
9 Emory Jones Cincinnati 64.1 63.1 (No. 11)
10 Timmy McClain UCF 62.7 69.8 (No. 6)
11 Tyler Shough Texas Tech 55.4 55.2 (No. 12)
12 Behren Morton Texas Tech 46.3 –
13 Alan Bowman Oklahoma State 46.0 33.6 (No. 14)
14 Blake Shapen Baylor 43.2 –

Morton and Baylor’s Blake Shapen qualified for the season standings after missing out on the list in Week 5. Morton could pass teammate Shough in Week 7 as the Red Raiders host Will Howard and the Kansas State Wildcats Saturday night at Jones AT&T Stadium.

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By the Numbers: Oklahoma travels to Lubbock to face Texas Tech

Who holds the statistical edge in Oklahoma’s primetime matchup with the Texas Tech Red Raiders? From @john9williams

The Oklahoma Sooners’ defense has been trending in a positive direction for about a month now. Though their performance against Baylor wasn’t all that impressive, the Bears’ offense was aided by three interceptions and several short fields on their way to 38 points and the win.

On defense, Oklahoma played well against Iowa State, West Virginia, and Oklahoma State, and the Sooners will need them to play well again on Saturday night if they want to come out of Lubbock with a win.

The Sooners hold a 23-6 edge in the historical matchup and have won 10 in a row dating back to 2012.

Unlike previous years, this Texas Tech team has had a revolving door at quarterback with Donovan Smith, Behren Morton, and Tyler Shough each getting starts. Shough has recently stepped in to start at quarterback with an injury. Shough was named the starter in the preseason, but injuries led to Smith taking over before Joey McGuire inserted Morton into the lineup.

Back healthy, the Red Raiders have gone back to Shough, who’s expected to start for Tech this Saturday night in Norman.

Oklahoma’s had more stability at the quarterback position, but over the last month, [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] has struggled to find consistency. Over the last four games, Gabriel’s completing just 57.8% of his passes for 214.5 passing yards per game, and has thrown five touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s also rushed for 37 yards per game and two touchdowns during that stretch, but he’ll have to find more efficiency throwing the football than he has in the last month.

The Sooners need their starting quarterback to rebound from the final three quarters against Oklahoma State, where he was just 6 of 22.

On paper, this looks like a fairly even matchup, but let’s take a look at the two sides in our weekly “By the Numbers” preview.

Oklahoma Sooners at Texas Tech Red Raiders: Stream, injury report, broadcast info

Trying to figure out where to find the game on Saturday? Here’s how to watch, stream or listen to Oklahoma at Texas Tech. From @john9williams

Oklahoma (6-5, 3-5 Big 12) will face Texas Tech (6-5, 4-4) on Saturday night in Lubbock, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

Heading into last weekend, both the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Tech were still in search of the win to get them to bowl eligibility. For both teams, it’s been a roller coaster of a season with their first-year head coaches, though Oklahoma’s struggles have been more the surprise.

Joey McGuire has Texas Tech bowl eligible for the second-straight season. It’s the first time since 2012-2013 that the Red Raiders have gone to a bowl game in back-to-back seasons.

The big storyline facing the Red Raiders is the loss of Tyree Wilson for the season. Their star edge rusher was in the midst of a fantastic year with 61 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and seven sacks. Texas Tech’s defense has had some issues in 2022, losing their best player creates a hole along the defensive front, particularly in the pass rush.

The Sooners are dealing with their own injury issues, as Andrew Raym will miss the remainder of the year after having surgery. Robert Congel has filled in admirably in his absence, but the interior offensive line will be something to watch.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022
  • Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
  • TV Channel: FS1
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)
  • Listen: Streaming on the Varsity App

Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech injury report:

Oklahoma

[autotag]T.D. Roof[/autotag], LB: Out for season (Elbow)

[autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag], LB: Out for season (Shoulder)

[autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag], S: Out (Leg)

Daniel Parker Jr., TE: Out Indefinitely (Suspension)

Texas Tech

[autotag]Behren Morton[/autotag], QB: Questionable (Ankle)

[autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag], LB: Out Indefinitely (Undisclosed)

[autotag]Bryce Ramirez[/autotag], LB: Out Indefinitely (Leg)

[autotag]Bryce Robinson[/autotag], LB: Out Indefinitely (Leg)

[autotag]Cole Spencer[/autotag], OL: Out for Season (Knee)

[autotag]Mason Tharp[/autotag], TE: Questionable (Undisclosed)

[autotag]Tyree Wilson[/autotag], LB: Out for Season (Foot)

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Players to watch:

Oklahoma

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], QB: 62% for 2,476 yards, 18 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. 39 carries, 336 yards, and 5 touchdowns.*

[autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] WR: 47 receptions for 844 yards and 4 touchdowns.

[autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag], TE: 28 receptions for 382 yards and 5 touchdowns.

[autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], RB: 165 carries for 1,113 yards, 10 touchdowns at 6.7 yards per carry. 28 receptions for 189 yards and 0 touchdowns.

[autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], WR: 29 receptions for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns. 12 carries for 113 yards, 0 touchdowns at 9.4 yards per carry. 12 kickoff returns for 275 yards at 22.9 yards per return.

[autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag], WR: 31 receptions for 311 yards and 3 touchdowns.

[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], LB: 100 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, 4 passes defended.

[autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], LB: 8933 total tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 2 sacks.

[autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag], LB: 76 total tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, 5 passes defended.

[autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], DE: 33 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 2 passes defended.

[autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag], DT: 20 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 3 passes defended.

Texas Tech

[autotag]Tyler Shough[/autotag], QB: 58% for 632 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions. 18 carries, 152 yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns.*

[autotag]Myles Price[/autotag], WR: 42 receptions for 424 yards and 2 touchdowns.

[autotag]Xavier White[/autotag], WR: 41 receptions for 557 yards and 3 touchdowns.

[autotag]Jerand Bradley[/autotag], WR: 35 receptions for 483 yards and 4 touchdowns.

[autotag]Tahj Brooks[/autotag], RB: 121575 carries for 575 yards, 7 touchdowns at 4.8 yards per carry.

[autotag]Sa’Roderick Thompson[/autotag], RB: 111 carries for 584 yards, 4 touchdowns at 5.3 yards per carry.

[autotag]Krishon Merriweather[/autotag], LB: 96 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks.

[autotag]Kosi Eldridge[/autotag], LB: 68 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception.

Marquis Waters, S: 48 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 1 sack.

*Quarterback rushing numbers compiled from Pro Football Focus that doesn’t take away sack yardage from QB rushing totals.

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Oklahoma State, TCU stay undefeated: Big 12 Power Rankings after week 6

Oklahoma State and TCU remained undefeated ahead of their week seven matchup in Fort Worth, while Oklahoma drops to 0-3 in Big 12 play.

Oklahoma’s 49-0 loss to the Texas Longhorns was the only game on the Big 12 schedule to be decided by more than 10 points. The other three games had an average margin of victory of six.

The Big 12 looks like a deep conference this season, aside from the Sooners at this point. Most games have been competitive and entertaining affairs.

Six teams could be viewed as legit conference title contenders at this point in the season, and Texas Tech and Iowa State have played tough, even in Big 12 losses. We’ve still got seven weeks of the Big 12 calendar left to go and with what we’ve seen thus far, it looks like it will be an entertaining Big 12 title race.