Who's the Better Option at QB for Texas Tech, Smith or Morton?
It was a bit of a surprise when reports began to surface that redshirt freshman Behren Morton would get the start at quarterback against No. 7 Oklahoma State. Prior to the game, there were rumors of a shoulder injury to usual starter Donovan Smith, but other contradicting reports denying the injury was the reason for the substitution also leaked out. Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire cleared up the confusion after the game.
"Donovan [Smith], he came out of that last game he was banged up...we gave it all week where we felt like if he could go, we were gonna go with him," said McGuire after the game. "Behren knew early that if Donovan couldn't throw the ball the way we needed to, then we'd go with Behren."
McGuire went on to say that the decision was based exclusively on the injury's hindering of Smith's throwing ability, but also said that there will be competition heading into the bye week.
"We're trying to get the best guys out there that give us a chance to win...whoever goes into that West Virginia week having the best week is going to be the starting quarterback," stated McGuire.
The head ball coach definitely has a tough decision on his hands. Smith has played well at times, very well even, including two overtime wins over in-state rivals. But the bad has been, well bad. The sophomore's thrown 11 touchdowns, but also has seven interceptions to his name.
Those turnover issues coupled with two slow road starts might be enough reason for McGuire to turn to Morton, especially after the freshman's performance against the Cowboys on Saturday.
Morton went 39-for-62 passing with 379 yards and two touchdowns, plus an additional score on the ground. All three of those touchdowns came in the first half and it was certainly the fastest start of any away game this year.
But then in the second half, the offense stalled, scoring only seven points in the half. Granted, Morton suffered a blow to the ankle that hobbled him a bit, but it seems the Raiders traded a "slow start" for a stagnant finish.
Whoever McGuire chooses to start against West Virginia in two weeks, they've got to play four quarters of good football. The Red Raiders' defense has held up to the conference's best offenses, now they just need an offense of their own that will put them in a better position to win.
Whether it's Morton or Smith leading that unit, we likely won't know until Week 8 leading up to Tech's game with the Mountaineers. For now, both gunslingers will have time to heal up before they battle it out for the starting job.
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