The Texas Tech Red Raiders built up an early lead against the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday, finding themselves up three points at half. However, when Behren Morton exited the lineup with what is being called a left shoulder injury, their fate was put in the hands of freshman QB Will Hammond.
What Happened to Behren Morton?
It wasn’t exactly shown when Morton injured himself, but after watching the first half over, there was a sack right before halftime that may have been where the injury happened.
Morton dropped back to pass on 3rd & 9 with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter. He was forced off his spot, moved up into the pocket, but was met by three different TCU defenders. It wasn’t a violent hit at all, but Morton did indeed come down on his left shoulder during the play.
The play was not stopped, the game wasn’t halted in any way. In fact, TCU called a timeout and no replay was shown of the play on the broadcast either.
Morton, however, did not return to the field with the starting offense after the halftime break.
Instead, Morton was replaced by true freshman Hammond, who led the Red Raiders on an impressive scoring drive in his first real action of his freshman season. Hammond completed three of three passes on the drive, throwing a 13-yard touchdown to Coy Eakin to put Texas Tech up 10 points.
Hammond returned to the field upon Tech’s next outing as it was announced that Morton would miss the rest of the action with a left shoulder injury.
Who Is Will Hammond?
A consensus four-star recruit and top-250 player, Hammond hails from Hutto High School in Hutto, Texas. A member of the Class of 2024, Hammond turned heads this preseason when it was said he could push for time in the starting lineup as a freshman.
After his first extended action of the season, it was clear why.
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During his final season at Hutto, Hammond totaled over 5,000 yards of total offense with nearly 4,000 passing yards and over 1,000 rushing yards. His 48 touchdowns included 35 passing touchdowns and 19 on the ground. He was awarded the title of Mr. Texas Football by Dave Campbell’s.
At 6’2″ and 205 pounds, with his dual-threat ability, it’s clear why pockets of Texas Tech faithful were wanting to turn to Hammond before the season. He’s the future of the program for sure, but now, awaiting Morton’s status, he may be the present.
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