Behren Morton thought Texas Tech could be special, and the QB challenged teammates to prove it

Ask Behren Morton what he remembers most about the best season Texas Tech has ever had, and the quarterback might mention a game he didn't get to play because of an injury, which was also the Red Raiders' only loss.

That day in the Arizona desert in October stands out to Morton because the Lubbock native knows more than most about the largely forgettable football past on the plains of West Texas.

The Red Raiders were perfect six games into the season before the 26-22 loss to Arizona State, and the fifth-year senior was among those who thought the younger players needed a history lesson that next week.

''We brought everyone up, and we kind of said, ‘Is this going to be another year for Texas Tech where we win eight games and go make a decent bowl game, or do we have something special?''' Morton said.

The Red Raiders and their quarterback believe they're on the way to the answer.

Texas Tech (12-1) set a school record for wins by beating BYU 34-7 for the school's first Big 12 championship, also clinching a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.

The No. 4 seed plays fifth-seeded Oregon (12-1), a first-round winner over James Madison, in an Orange Bowl quarterfinal on Thursday. Both teams have those same rankings in The Associated Press poll.

The fracture was what kept Morton out against the Sun Devils and for a 42-0 victory over Oklahoma State when backup Will Hammond's season-ending knee injury forced Morton to put on his uniform at halftime. He didn't have to play.

All McGuire will say about the reported fibula injury is that the medical staff has made Morton wear a walking boot most of the time — against his will. He will have had nearly four weeks off before taking the field against the Ducks.

''This is for sure the best I've felt, probably since the Kansas game,'' Morton said, referring to the Oct. 11 game in which the injury happened on a sack. ''I've gotten to get out the boot a little bit, still in the boot here and there. But when we get to practice, coach lets me take the boot off and kind of get after it, so it's been good.''

Morton was born in Lubbock when his father, James, was the head coach at one of the local high schools. He was the quarterback for his dad in Eastland, a small town 220 miles southeast of Texas Tech's campus.

Morton was a kid idolizing Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, who combined for the most famous play in what before this year was the best season the Red Raiders ever had.

Yes, even Morton considered leaving his beloved school in this era of the transfer portal. He went through another offensive coordinator change in the offseason.

Morton stayed, deciding instead to be part of the welcoming group for a high-priced transfer class that was considered among the best in the country. Several of those transfers mixed with holdover linebacker Jacob Rodriguez to turn Texas Tech into one of the best defenses in country, when defense had always been the thing holding the Red Raiders back.

''We say that we're, ‘The Brand,' which is the hardest, toughest-working, most competitive team in the country,'' Morton said. ''And from that day one, when those guys came in, we told them what the culture was, told them what ‘The Brand' was, and they really embodied that. With having one year of eligibility left, you might think that guy's coming in there just for himself. You know, he's getting a lot of money, he's going to go to the (NFL) next year, but that's not been the case at all.''

McGuire won three Texas state championships as a high school coach in Cedar Hill, near Dallas. He and Morton share a loyalty to Lubbock and deep ties to the state's football-rich tradition.

That's probably why they had a conversation in June about winning a Big 12 championship at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, where all 12 of the high school title games are played each December.

McGuire relayed that message the morning of the game.

''We found each other, and we both got emotional,'' Morton said. ''I just love this university and everything it stands for. I think this town deserves championships to be brought back home.''

Morton isn't alone with that thought. He shares a fraternity with Harrell and three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City, who believe it or not never won a bowl game at Texas Tech. Harrell recruited him. Mahomes texts him all the time, when he's not there in person as he was for the rout of Oklahoma State.

And there was a time, 60 or so years ago, when the Red Raiders would flirt with contention from time to time in the old Southwest Conference.

''I still have that guy that's about 85 years old texting me, telling me how proud he is of this team and to be a Red Raider,'' Morton said. ''It's really nothing like I've ever seen.''

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