Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire provides positive update on QB Behren Morton

Texas Tech football fans have become conditioned to expect the worst when it comes to the health of their team's starting quarterbacks. That's because the team's week-one starter has not played in every game of a season since Nic Shimonek did so in 2017.

Since then, Texas Tech football has come to be defined by awful luck in regard to quarterback injuries. Thus, many fans were expecting the worst when starting quarterback Behren Morton did not return to the field after halftime in Saturday's 35-34 loss to TCU due to a left shoulder injury. And when Morton appeared on the sidelines with his arm in a sling, Red Raiders everywhere feared that Morton might have suffered a season-ending injury.

Fortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case. Head coach Joey McGuire said Monday during his media availability that Morton does not have any structural damage to the shoulder and could play this weekend at No. 11 Iowa State.

"Nothing structurally is wrong with Behren's non-throwing shoulder," he said. "He's got a lot of movement back in it and we'll see how he feels tomorrow, if he'll practice tomorrow, if he'll practice Wednesday. Feel really good about that. We were nervous that there was a break. Couldn't see anything, so structurally, he's good to go on his non-throwing shoulder."

That is the best possible report that McGuire could have provided. After all, the Red Raiders don't want to have to rely on backup quarterback and true freshman Will Hammond for a long stretch of this season.

It isn't that Hammond isn't capable of playing well. In fact, against TCU, he played better than Morton did.

In the first half, Morton was 13-22 passing for 137 yards with no TDs and no picks. In the second half, Hammond completed 10 of 15 passes for 121 yards and a passing touchdown while also running for a touchdown.

However, according to McGuire, there is no quarterback competition brewing.

"Behren is the guy if he's healthy," he said. "If you go back, Behren put us in a point to where it's 17-14 you know, in the first quarter, number-wise as far as taking care of the football, the number of touchdowns he's thrown. It'll be interesting because he's pretty sore. Now, we are structurally sound but I imagine he'd tell you he wouldn't want to go play a football game today.

"And so I am not ruling out playing Will Hammond on Saturday. I wouldn't rule that out at all. But I'm not going to rule out Behren Morton playing either. Where, I would tell ya, up until I saw him yesterday, I would have been like 'Yeah, he might be out for a couple of weeks'. But once we did everything, x-rays, MRIs, everything like that, we felt a lot better about where he's at."

While some fans may want the Will Hammond era to begin immediately, the simple reality is that it is better for Morton to complete the season if at all possible. That's because the plan all along has been for Hammond to redshirt this year.

He has now played in two games meaning he would have two more regular-season games left to play before having to give up the option to redshirt. Being as Tech has only four games remaining, it seems likely that Hammond won't have to lose his redshirt opportunity, especially given Monday's report on Morton.

Of course, Tech fans should also be cautious about wanting to see a true freshman play against a complicated and strong Iowa State defense that ranks 18th nationally in total defense. Asking Hammond to go up to Ames and solve the Cyclones' 3-3-5 "cloud" scheme would be a big chore.

While Hammond's performance against TCU excited many Red Raider fans, the reality is that it is better for the immediate and long-term health of this program if Morton starts the rest of the games this year. And according to what McGuire said on Monday, that seems like a distinct possibility.