Protecting Behren Morton may be up to Behren Morton as much as anyone else

At some point, Texas Tech is going to have to catch a break, right? The quarterback injury issues that have plagued the program since 2018 have to let up eventually, don't they?

By now, everyone knows about how Tech has struggled to keep its starting quarterback on the field for an entire season. It's been since 2016 and Patrick Mahomes II that Tech has had the same QB start every game of the season and it's been since 2017 that Tech didn't have to start multiple QBs because of an injury. (In 2017, Nic Shimonek made 12 starts but the Red Raiders gave one start to McLane Carter due to Shimonek's struggles late in the season.)

Since then, QBs such as Alan Bowman, Jett Duffey, Tyler Shough, Donovan Smith, and even this year's starter, Behren Morton, have all dealt with injuries that have kept them out of action at critical times. That's why people around Lubbock now familiarize themselves with not only the backup QB but also the third-string QB as well.

The hope is that 2024 will be different, of course. In fact, that could be one of the keys to the season Joey McGuire and his team.

Recently, on the Heartland College Sports podcast, McGuire was asked about keeping Morton healthy and upright and he said that it will take a "collective effort".

"Well, you've got to improve up front," McGuire said. "It starts with that. I always tell everybody that everything that happens in football is a collective effort. Good and bad.

"So it's just not the offensive line. But we're better up front. We've got to do a good job when it comes to our tight ends and running backs with pass [protection]."

Then, McGuire pivoted and began talking about the not-so-obvious aspects of keeping a QB safe. And he began those thoughts by talking about the responsibility Morton bears in that endeavor.

"But then, the thing that I love about Behren, he's a gunslinger. He thinks every play is a touchdown and he feels like he can extend every play. But he's gotta have a little bit different mindset.

"You know, he got hit twice against K-State that was on him. There was no reason for him to take those hits. So we as a collective whole have got to do a better job. We've gotta all understand, from the play call to the pass protection to where you can get the ball out, check-downs, everything like that, we've got to do a good job of that."

McGuire is spot-on when talking about how Morton must change his mindset. However, it is a fine line that Tech must ask him to walk.

Part of what makes the redshirt junior so tantalizing as QB is his ability to improvise and make off-schedule plays. He is elusive in the pocket and he can throw on the run and from different arm angles, two skills that allow him to create magic when it appears a play is breaking down.

However, Morton's all-out style of play has led to as many negative moments as it has spectacular ones. For instance, in his first career start at Oklahoma State in 2022, he suffered a high ankle sprain on a play where he was trying to throw the ball after being flushed from the pocket. That nagging injury plagued him for the rest of that season and limited him to just four starts.

Then last year, he sprained his throwing shoulder at West Virginia on a running play. That injury would limit his effectiveness for the remainder of the season as well.

In the game that McGuire referenced, Tech was actually trading blows with KSU and trailed only 17-14 at the half. But when Morton was unable to answer the bell for the second half due to aggravating that shoulder injury, it forced true freshman Jake Strong into action and the results were disastrous as he would throw three back-breaking second-half interceptions en route to a 38-21 loss.

This year, Morton must realize that the best thing he can do for his team is to stay on the field. If that means hitting the deck instead of trying to make something special happen, then so be it. If that means checking the ball down to a tight end or to running back Tahj Brooks, then that's what he should do.

Morton is no longer a young player. He's now got more than a season's worth of starts under his belt and he should be expected to play with some wisdom sprinkled into his gunslinger persona. There's a time and a place for everything and we want to see Morton make the spectacular plays when necessary. However, his first priority must be to protect himself because if he's sidelined with more injuries, he's no good to his team.