Entering the 2024 season, Texas Tech football fans were excited to see what the Behren Morton era at quarterback would bring. Sure, we got a glimpse of that last year as the Eastland, Texas product started eight games however in each of those starts he was severely limited because of a sprained throwing shoulder meaning we never truly saw what he was capable of.
The expectations for 2024 were high, though. When Morton had been healthy, he'd shown escapability in the pocket, a quick release, and the ability to make every throw the game requires. However, in 2024, he hasn't quite taken the step to stardom that many fans thought he would.
Last year, he averaged 187.2 yards passing in the nine games in which he played the majority of the snaps at QB (he played the final three quarters of the West Virginia game for an injured Tyler Shough in week four). This year, with better receivers on the roster and a healthier throwing shoulder, he is throwing for 257.5 yards per game.
However, Morton seems to be regressing as the season nears its conclusion. He's averaging just 228.7 yards per game though the air in Big 12 play and completing only 59.7% of his passes against conference opponents.
What's more, Morton has not thrown for 300 yards in a conference game. In fact, he's thrown for 250 yards just three times in seven league games and two of those were in multiple-score losses to Baylor and Colorado that saw Tech resort to throwing the ball a ton in the second half to try to get back into striking distance.
Taking it a step further, he's completing just 59.7% of his passes against Big 12 defense. Most importantly, though, Tech is just 1-3 in its last four games after a 3-0 start to conference play. While not all of that is on Morton given the struggles of the defense and the offensive line, at some point, a great QB needs to carry his team to a win when everything falls on his shoulders and we haven't seen that from Morton against an FBS opponent this year.
Sure, he led Tech on the game-winning drive against Iowa State but in that game, he was just 21-40 passing for 237 yards and two TDs with two picks. Then, on Saturday, he couldn't carry the offense against Colorado when star running back Tahj Brooks was bottled up for most of the night.
Against the Buffaloes, Morton was 24-40 for 275 yards and two TDs with one pick and one lost fumble. Again, some of those struggles were due to the constant pressure he was under as Tech's leaky offensive line did him no favors (he was sacked seven times). But on a night when Morton was playing against one of the best QBs in the nation, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, the difference between the two signal callers was impossible to miss.
It looks as if offensive coordinator Zach Kittley doesn't trust this passing game anymore as he repeatedly ran Brooks into a wall of humanity to the tune of 31 carries despite the fact that the ground game was going nowhere until late in the fourth quarter. So now might be the time for the Red Raiders to consider shaking things up and playing true freshman Will Hammond because his skill set appears to be more in line with what this year's offense needs.
Now, it isn't fair to anoint Hammond as the next great Big 12 quarterback. He's played in only one conference game after all and in that game, he played only the second half.
However, when he was pressed into action in the TCU game, he looked every bit the part of a starting quarterback. That day, he threw for 121 yards and a TD on 10-15 passing. He also ran for 16 yards and a touchdown.
And it is Hammond's legs that could help elevate this offense. Though he isn't a true dual-threat QB by definition, in high school he did run for over 2,700 yards and he is far more capable of picking up yards on the ground than Morton is.
With an offensive line that is one of the worst in the Big 12, Tech needs to have a way to mitigate opposing team's pass rushes and the QB run game is a great option for that. However, Morton isn't going to bring that to the table at the level that would be required for it to be a staple of the offense.
Hammond would though. What's more, as a passer, he has looked more confident in the pocket and more decisive than Morton, albeit in limited action.
So will Texas Tech make a change at QB? That seems unlikely. We've received no indication that head coach Joey McGuire or Kittley are ready to push that button yet.
However, if they were, now would be the perfect time. Tech has an open week before playing Oklahoma State on the road. That would give Hammond two weeks of first-team practice reps. What's more, with only two games left in the regular season, Hammond wouldn't have to lose his ability to use this season as a redshirt given that he's appeared in only two games thus far.
Again, a QB change doesn't feel like it is imminent. However, Morton's play has been less than stellar in recent weeks and it would be smart for Texas Tech to at least consider giving Hammond a shot now that the timing is perfect for him to step into the starting role.