Red Raiders Coach Joey McGuire: Despite Criticism, QB Donovan Smith Just 'Wants to Win'
There are few positions in sports that are more forgiving than quarterback. After all, as the old adage goes, the most popular guy on any football team is the backup quarterback.
For the Texas Tech Red Raiders, that guy is current backup quarterback Behren Morton. Following the Red Raiders' 37-28 loss to the Kansas State Wildcats, there is some clamoring for Morton to be named the starter moving forward.
Of course, the clamoring comes in spite of Donovan Smith playing well since taking over for an injured Tyler Shough. Against the Wildcats Smith completed 34-of-48 passes for 359 yards with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions.
However, as is the nature of college football, some fans expect perfection and don't think Smith is good enough to lead the Red Raiders. Coach Joey McGuire is aware of these expectations and has made sure to check in on his quarterback following the loss.
"I think the tough thing, I talked to Donovan Saturday night, I gave him a call, because he's down, man," McGuire said. "That kid wants to win and he's a great kid. He has very high character."
"I told him, 'there's no position that will get more praise unwarranted than the quarterback position and the head coach position and there will be no position that gets more criticism unwarranted than the starting quarterback. That's just the nature of the beast and you chose to play quarterback. You're a really good one.'"
It is natural for fans to want the teams they support to do whatever they can to win. After all, sports inherently breed competition.
For now, though, Smith is the Red Raiders quarterback, a role that he has more than earned. If in the future Morton replaces Smith, it won't be because fans made their voices heard on social media. Rather, McGuire will do what he thinks is best for the team to win more games, whether that's with Smith or Morton at quarterback.
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Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media.