For No. 24 Texas Tech, the only suspense when it hosts Kent State Saturday figures to be the status of quarterback Behren Morton.
After throwing for 201 yards and four touchdowns last week in a season-opening 67-7 blowout of University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Morton left in the second quarter when he was hit low and late.
Coach Joey McGuire said Monday that Morton avoided a significant injury but is dealing with muscle soreness. McGuire and the training staff plan to evaluate Morton throughout the week to decide whether he can play.
“Maybe get some 7-on-7 and stuff like that and then just play it day-by-day of what we’re going to do with him on Saturday,” McGuire said. “If he feels great and he’s ready to go, then we plan on playing him.”
If Morton can’t play, the Red Raiders appear to have capable options behind him. Backup Will Hammond threw for 92 yards and a score last week while adding a 64-yard touchdown run. Third-stringer Mitch Griffis, a sixth-year senior who also tossed a touchdown pass Saturday, started most of the 2023 season at Wake Forest.
McGuire said Hammond is ready to start if needed, but he hopes Morton can go in order to build some continuity with new offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich.
“He and Mack are as aligned as a quarterback and coordinator can be,” McGuire said. “We don’t want to disrupt that. Want to make sure (Morton is) healthy, but we also want to make sure he’s in rhythm.”
Texas Tech, which dropped one spot in Tuesday’s Associated Press Top 25 poll despite the 60-point beatdown against an FCS opponent, should win comfortably if McGuire were to insert himself under center. It’s listed as a 48 1/2-point favorite for this game.
Kent State also won its season opener against an FCS foe, although it needed a far more dramatic way to do it. The Golden Flashes trailed Merrimack by three points before Da’Realyst Clark lugged a kickoff 100 yards with 5:28 left to secure a 21-17 win.
The result snapped a 21-game losing streak, dating back to September 2023, for Kent State.
“Hungry group out there,” said interim coach Mark Carney. “Saw some adversity, kept believing in one another and got the job done. It’s got nothing to do with me. There’s something special with this group.”
Carney was elevated from offensive coordinator to head coach in April after Kenni Burns was fired. He is not guaranteed employment past the season’s end, which is Nov. 28 at Northern Illinois. Athletic director Randale L. Richmond already has said a national search will take place to fill the job permanently.
Despite the odds being stacked against him, Carney said recently that he’s built for the job’s demands.
“I’ve been calling plays since I was a sophomore in college,” said Carney, who set career passing records at FCS Fordham. “I view myself as a natural-born leader.”
The Golden Flashes used two quarterbacks — Dru DeShields and Fordham transfer CJ Montes — who combined for 209 passing yards and two touchdowns in the season opener.
This will be the first meeting of these programs.
