Texas Tech football: The Dilemma of the Quarterback Room

A phrase sometimes heard in football is: “If you have two starting quarterbacks you have no quarterback”. In the case with Texas Tech football this season, that number is three. The phrase does not imply that none of your quarterbacks are good, it is that you can make a case for each of them starting for your team. It’s a matter of which way do you go? Entering the bye week, Joey McGuire is facing a dilemma with his most important position group.

The Red Raiders brought back three of their quarterbacks who played last season. Tyler Shough entered camp as the favorite to win the job but he had plenty of company. Donovan Smith was thought to be the closest competition to Shough but Behren Morton was not viewed as too far behind.

With Shough suffering an injury in week one, Smith was given the reins to the offense. While he has won two of his four starts, the offense seemed to be stuck in neutral at times. With Smith reportedly also a little banged up after the loss to Kansas State, the team gave redshirt freshman Morton his first start.

The former Elite 11 quarterback provided a much-needed spark to the offense. For instance, Morton hit Jerand Bradley on a beautiful pass for a touchdown on the team’s opening drive.

After running and throwing for two more touchdowns, disaster appeared to once again strike the Red Raider quarterbacks. Morton had his ankle rolled up on the final drive of the first half and was limping noticeably for the rest of the game. Despite the pain, Morton played the entire second half and finished with 379 yards and three total touchdowns. The severity of his injury remains in question.

Morton’s performance has all of Lubbock talking as well as Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. His composure and leadership against the seventh-ranked team on the road was something fans had hoped for more of from Smith. Now Morton seems to be the favorite for the quarterback of the future. However, at least for this season, there is another factor.

Early last week, McGuire said Shough has continued to recover well from his collarbone injury and is “hopeful” for next week’s contest against West Virginia. Good news right? Well, Shough has only appeared in five games since he arrived in Lubbock and his injury history mirrors a lot of quarterbacks in this program over the past few years.

McGuire has a lot to contemplate this week. Fortunately, the bye giving players extra time to rest helps in his decision-making for next week. If Shough is healthy enough to play most should expect him to be under center against the Mountaineers. Fans should also not be surprised to see Morton, if he is healthy enough, to be standing super close to Zach Kittley on the sideline. The home crowd should not be surprised to see multiple quarterbacks take snaps next week.