College notebook: Morton tosses first collegiate TD in Texas Tech opener
Behren Morton, a 2021 Eastland grad, made the most of his opportunity in a mop-up role in Texas Tech’s 63-10 victory over Murray State last week a non-conference game in Lubbock.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound redshirt freshman completed 7 of 10 passes for 97 yards and his first collegiate TD pass – a 21-yarder to Mason Tharp for the game’s final score. He also threw an interception.
Morton began the season third on the depth chart behind starter Tyler Shough and Donavan Smith, but he might get more playing time since Shough was injured in the first half.
Morton appeared in two games last year, completing 1 of 3 passes for 0 yards. He also ran twice for 15 yards.
The Red Raiders play No. 25 Houston at 3 p.m. Saturday in Lubbock.
Brownwood’s McCarty helps Baylor defense
A.J. McCarty, a Brownwood grad, had two solo tackles as Baylor blasted the University of Albany 69-10 in a non-conference game in Waco.
McCarty, a 5-11, 180-pound redshirt sophomore cornerback, played in all 13 games last year in a reserve role and had three solo tackles and broke up a pass.
Baylor plays BYU on Saturday in Provo, Utah.
Washington sparks Tarleton defense
Qua’Shawn Washington, a 2017 Abilene High grad, had 12 tackles, including seven solo, in Tarleton’s 29-13 victory over Mississippi Valley State in Stephenville
Washington, a senior linebacker, had 2.5 tackles for loss, including an assist on a sack.
After coming back from an injury, he played in the final four games last season, making 19 tackles (9 solo). He had a season-high nine tackles against his former team, Abilene Christian, on Nov. 13 in Stephenville.
Washington played in 22 games from 2017-19 for ACU coming out of AHS, including the first year as a running back.
Tarleton plays TCU at 7 p.m. Saturday in Fort Worth.
Zach Strong, a 2020 Brownwood grad, had one tackle. The sophomore linebacker had the fourth-most tackles for the Texans last year (46, 24 solo) with a sack, four tackles for loss and two pass breakups in nine games.
Davis leads Midwestern D
Dylon Davis, a 2020 Cooper grad, had a team-high eight tackles, 4 solo, in Midwestern State’s 59-27 loss to Colorado State -Pueblo in Wichita Falls.
The junior defensive back was fourth on the team last year with 46 tackles (30 solo) and made five interceptions – returning three for TDs.
Davis left Cooper as the program’s all-time leader in interceptions with 20, including a school record 16 in 2019.
Midwestern plays Eastern New Mexico on Saturday in Portales.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Eastland grad Morton throws TD pass in Texas Tech football win
