The Texas Tech quarterback has been banged throughout this season, but he's holding up just enough to lead his team into the College Football Playoff.
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech Red Raiders are putting the finishing touches on their College Football Playoff prep ahead of their quarterfinal contest against the Oregon Ducks.
Monday brought us the initial injury report, and while the Red Raiders saw unfortunate luck regarding the potential return of defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard, one positive is the lack of unavailability on offense outside of backup QB Will Hammond, who had knee surgery earlier.
Those offensive concerns largely begin and end around the health of Behren Morton, who first sustained a hairline fracture in his right tibia in the season-opener. He aggravated the injury about a month later and sat the next two games, the first of which ended up being the 12-1 Red Raiders' lone loss to Arizona State on Oct. 18.
Now, the senior quarterback says he is at "80-85 percent" strength going into the postseason.
After the Red Raiders last took the field - a dominant Big 12 Championship win over BYU on Dec. 6, Morton told ESPN that he felt "about 70 percent", but the near month of rest has gotten him into better shape ahead of the matchup against the Ducks.
“It’s been great getting these 20-something days that we got,” Morton said to reporters this week. “But I’m feeling closer to 80-85 percent. It’s been good. We’ve got guys healthy this week. It’s been a good week of prep."
So, where exactly is he health-wise?
“As close as I want to be for sure. Not 100%, but it’s a closer percent to 100%, though.”
That should be a good enough figure for head coach Joey McGuire and offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich to be confident in their Lubbock native under center. Oregon, however, presents a unique challenge with a pass rush that commands more respect than any front Tech has faced this year.
Leftwich understands that he'll have to get creative in trying to keep Morton upright.
“He’s not really too much of a runner to begin with,” Leftwich said. “That’s not something that we’ll major in. I do think he’s to the point where he’s mobile enough now where third down scramble he can go run for a first down.
“You feel a little bit better about that about him being able to avoid pressures. He’s not going to turn into Taysom Hill out there over night. We’ll still kind of limit him in the run game.”
The Red Raiders' offensive line allows just a 24 percent pressure rate this season, but Oregon's front line has gotten after quarterbacks at a clip over 40 percent - one of the larger rates in the country.
It's likely to be a big point of emphasis for either side if they want to advance into the semifinal.
READ MORE: How Oregon Beats Texas Tech in Orange Bowl