FORT WORTH, Texas — In a closely contested match, Texas Tech’s quarterback, Behren Morton, suffered an injury to his left non-throwing shoulder during the second half of their narrow 35-34 defeat against TCU on Saturday.

Morton was hit hard during a third-down play with only 36 seconds remaining in the first half, resulting in a 5-yard sack. His responsibilities were handed over to true freshman Will Hammond for the remainder of the game.

Coach Joey McGuire addressed Morton’s injury, stating that while it isn’t a severe issue, there is something concerning. The initial X-rays conducted at the stadium didn’t provide clear results, leading McGuire to speculate that it could be related to Morton’s collarbone. As a precaution, Morton was seen with his arm in a sling and was scheduled for further evaluation once the team returned home.

“The X-ray did not yield definitive information, but he was experiencing significant soreness, prompting us not to reinsert him into the game at that moment,” McGuire explained.

Before his exit, Morton managed to complete 13 out of 22 attempts for a total of 137 passing yards, which contributed to Tech’s lead of 17-14 at halftime.

Upon taking over, Hammond demonstrated his abilities by throwing for a touchdown and running for another early in the second half, allowing the Red Raiders to extend their lead to 31-14. However, TCU made a strong comeback in the fourth quarter.

Hammond faced a setback late in the game when he lost control of the ball during a third-down rush at the TCU 27-yard line after a massive tackle by the 320-pound nose tackle Hakeem Ajijolaiya, thwarting their chance to set up what could have been a game-winning field goal.

Hammond’s overall performance showed promise as he completed 10 of 15 passes for 121 yards.

“Everyone will focus on that last play. Yet, if you look back, there were a few earlier moments that we wish we could have done differently, but I thought he played admirably throughout the game, which was no surprise to me,” McGuire commented.

With this loss, Tech’s record now stands at 5-3, and they hold a 3-2 mark in the Big 12 Conference.