College Notebook: Eastland grad Morton earns first start at QB Texas Tech

Joey D. Richards, Abilene Reporter-News
·2 min read
Texas Tech's Behren Morton (2) throws the ball in the first quarter against Oklahoma State on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.
Texas Tech's Behren Morton (2) throws the ball in the first quarter against Oklahoma State on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.

Eastland grad Behren Morton threw for 379 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another in Texas Tech’s 41-31 loss at Oklahoma State last week.

It was the redshirt-freshman’s first collegiate start. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Morton completed 39 of 62 passes. He threw one interception. He also was second on the team in rushing (17-53, 1 TD).

Morton led the Red Raiders to a TD on the game’s opening drive. He capped an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a 27-yard TD pass to Jerand Bradley.

His 9-yard TD run cut the Cowboys’ lead to 17-14 with 20 seconds left in the first quarter, and Tech took a 21-17 lead as Morton threw a 4-yard TD pass to Xavier White early in the second quarter.

Morton, who graduated from Eastland in December 2020, has appeared in three games this year, completing 50 of 79 passes for 561 yards and three TDs. He’s thrown three picks. He’s also run for 58 yards and a TD on 22 carries.

Tech (3-3 overall, 1-2 Big 12) has a bye this week and plays West Virginia (2-3, 0-2) at 2 p.m. Oct. 22 in Lubbock.

Texas Tech's quarterback Behren Morton (2) runs with the ball against Oklahoma State.
Texas Tech's quarterback Behren Morton (2) runs with the ball against Oklahoma State.

Washington has big day for Texans

At Cedar City, Utah, Abilene High grad Qua’Shawn Washington had a game-high 11 tackles, including seven solo, in Tarleton State’s 42-40 victory over Southern Utah in a Western Athletic Conference game.

The senior linebacker, a 2017 AHS grad who had three tackles for loss, played in his first game since Sept. 10.

Tarleton (4-1, 1-0) plays Stephen F. Austin (3-3, 0-0) on Saturday in a WAC game in Nacogdoches.

Phillips leads Angelo State

Stephenville grad Kason Phillips had a team-high 69 yards rushing on 11 carries in Angelo State’s 28-0 victory over Eastern New Mexico in a Lone Star Conference game at LeGrand Stadium in San Angelo.

Phillips, a sophomore running back, is second on the team in rushing this season (41-261, 2 TDs)

The Rams (6-0, 4-0) play Western New Mexico (3-3, 2-2) in an LSC game in Silver City, New Mexico.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Eastland grad Morton makes first start at QB for Texas Tech