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Big 12 College Football Team Makes Quarterback Decision Ahead of Week 2

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rodney Knuppel | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 11:13 AM ET

The Texas Tech Red Raiders are set to host the Kent State Golden Flashes on Saturday and should have their starting quarterback on the field. Behren Morton, who injured his right leg in a Week 1 blowout win over the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, will get the start. The play came on a sack early in the second quarter.

Morton had an X-ray and MRI this week, and both came back negative. When head coach Joey McGuire was asked about the quarterback, he mentioned he was "very sore."

McGuire also went on to talk about his signal-caller, "If he feels great and he's ready to go, then we plan on playing him."

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. pic.twitter.com/9wwBmUkk1G
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 5, 2025

Despite missing much of the game, Morton passed for 201 yards and four touchdowns. He completed 16 of 20 passes and looked strong in the first game with his new offensive coordinator, Mack Leftwich.

After Morton's injury, Will Hammond came in and threw for 92 yards and a touchdown, along with a 64-yard run that finished in the end zone for a touchdown. The Red Raiders cruised to a 67-7 victory.

Morton has been with the Red Raiders since 2021. He threw three passes that year before using his redshirt season. Last season, the signal-caller finished with 3,335 passing yards and 27 touchdowns. He threw just eight interceptions for the second straight season.

This is the fourth season for McGuire as the head coach of the Red Raiders. They have reached a bowl game in each of their first three seasons. Last year, after finishing in a second-place tie in the Big 12, the Red Raiders went to the Liberty Bowl and fell to the Arkansas Razorbacks, snapping a streak of three straight seasons with a bowl win.

Texas Tech hosts Kent State at noon ET Saturday on TNT.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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