Behren Morton and Skyler Gill-Howard are both considered day-to-day after leaving the Texas Tech football team’s game against Kansas with lower leg injuries.
The Red Raiders’ starting quarterback and defensive lineman each sustained injuries in the first half of the game but head coach Joey McGuire said after the game he was optimistic about both players’ prognosis. He reiterated that on Monday.
“(Behren) feels a lot better than he did after the Arkansas-Pine Bluff game,” McGuire said. “I’ve said it a million times and I don’t know if there’ll ever be a player like him, but that dude’s the toughest kid I’ve ever coached. His pain tolerance and just toughness and care factor is really high.”
Morton left Saturday’s 42-17 win over Kansas with an apparent leg injury, which McGuire called a reaggravation of a previous calf injury suffered in the season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Morton’s leg was rolled up on while being sacked by Kansas’ Leroy Harris III.
Morton stayed on his knees and head to the ground, angrily punching the Jones AT&T Stadium turf in frustration. He let out a few screams while walking off the field. He exited the game and went to the locker room before halftime. The fifth-year senior emerged before the second half wearing street clothes and limping and did not return to the game.
Brett McMurphy of On3 reported Sunday that Morton’s x-rays and MRI both came back negative.
Morton has started all six games for the Red Raiders but only played the entirety of one contest. He left the Pine Bluff and Kansas games with the aforementioned leg injury, exited early in the second half at Utah with a concussion and was pulled in blowout wins over Kent State and Oregon State.
The lone game Morton has played the entirety of was the 35-11 victory at Houston. He has totaled 1,501 yards, 13 touchdowns and two interceptions this season, completing 104 of his 152 pass attempts.
Will Hammond spelled Morton against Kansas, rushing for a pair of touchdowns as the Red Raiders pulled away from the Jayhawks in the second half.
Gill-Howard is in a bit of a different situation, McGuire said. The team expects to know more about his status for this week’s game at Arizona State by Thursday.
“We want to send him to an expert in Dallas to see how fast we can get him back,” McGuire said, “and exactly what possibly we need to do. He’s going to be a little bit more questionable.”
Gill-Howard was carted off the field after some friendly fire from Tech linebacker Charles Esters’ leg took out Gill-Howard’s ankle. Initial looks on the field weren’t great, so trainers put a cast on him and he was carted off the field.
He later came back out to the sideline in full uniform, wearing a walking boot.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Will Texas Tech football’s Behren Morton play against Arizona State? The latest injury update
Reporting by Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
