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Eli Lederman
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton is out of walking boot and has been practicing fully this month ahead of the No. 4 Red Raiders’ College Football Playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 Oregon, the veteran passer told reporters Tuesday.
Morton spent the back half of this season playing through injury with a hairline fracture in his right fibula. Speaking from Orange Bowl media day at Hard Rock Stadium, Morton cited the benefit of the Red Raiders’ 26-day layoff since the Big 12 Championship game and said he expects to enter Thursday’s matchup with Oregon (12 PM ET, ESPN) feeling healthier and better prepared to play than at any point since mid-October.
«This whole bowl prep has been really good for me,» Morton said. «I’ve been basically a hundred percent in practice as far as team reps. I haven’t been able to do team reps really all season long. … Just getting the body back to playing football again — it’s been a while since I’ve gotten to do that.»
Kansas on Oct. 11. He missed only two games in October before returning to start each of the Red Raiders’ last five contests, leading Texas Tech to its first outright conference title since 1955 despite an injury that limited his mobility and kept him sidelined from most practice activities into the first week of December.
«Staying in a boot the whole entire week, not getting to practice, then taking the boot off on Saturday and getting to play, it was not fun at all,» said Morton, who said coach Joey McGuire granted him one day of practice prior to the Big 12 title game against BYU.
Morton said he stopped wearing the boot following the conference championship game and has been a nearly full participant across Texas Tech’s Orange Bowl prep this month. Ahead of a matchup with Oregon and the nation’s 10th-ranked scoring defense, he described an increased comfort and confidence after three weeks of practice and regular reps.
«It makes a big difference,» he said. «…I feel so much better just moving around, getting to lift weights, getting to squat again, all the stuff that I haven’t been able to do for the last couple months. Getting to do that again.»
With backup quarterback Will Hammond out with a season-ending knee injury, Morton’s status has lingered as a potential liability. As close to full strength as he’s been in more than two months, Morton now not only believes he’s in better shape to be more dominate headed into the CFP quarterfinal.
«When I’m healthy, I think the offense expands a lot,» he said. «We have so many playmakers though. It makes my job easy. If I can find them open and get the ball to them quickly, I think we can be pretty explosive.»
