Texas Tech football: Is Behren Morton ready for this opportunity?

Morton has shown just momentary bursts of success while at Texas Tech

What’s fascinating about Behren Morton is that he has become almost a cult icon in Lubbock despite having just a couple of instances of success, moments that were brief bursts of solid play.  However, those bursts were truly impressive.

Last year, he made his first career start on the road at No. 7 Oklahoma State.  In the first half of that game, Morton was special in leading Tech to a 24-20 halftime lead.

On the first possession, he found Jerand Bradley for a 27-yard TD, and later in the first quarter, he’d use his legs to find the endzone from nine yards out.  He would also connect with Xavier White on a four-yard TD reception in that quarter.

However, a sprained ankle sustained as he attempted to make a throw on the move would hamper him in the second half as Tech would score only seven points after halftime to fall 41-31.  Still, after that game, long-time OSU head coach, Mike Gundy, would compliment Morton’s play in a way that only Gundy could.

"“He’s a good player. What year is he? [Redshirt freshman.] That’s not good. He’s a good player,” Gundy said in is press conference."

A few weeks later, against No. 7 TCU in Fort Worth, Morton was able to guide his team to 10 early points to trail just 13-10 late in the second half.  That included a 47-yard TD pass to Bradley.  However, the aggravation of that ankle sprain would force him to leave the game before halftime pressing Shough back into action just weeks after he sustained a broken collarbone in the season opener.

Those two performances were impressive enough to give Red Raider fans reasons to believe that Morton has the “it” factor.  His ability to make plays off schedule and improvise were at the heart of his success and the zip on his throws seemed to give his offense a much-needed spark.

Those two halves of football were almost exclusively what Morton’s popularity has built on.  In those games against two top-10 teams, he rose to the occasion when many were unsure of how he would handle the spotlight.  Now, the hope is that we see that version of Morton this season but on a more consistent basis.