Joey McGuire Delivers Updates on Behren Morton, Skyler Gill-Howard vs. ASU

Head coach Joey McGuire gave updates on the status of key players Behren Morton and Skyler Gill-Howard ahead of their matchup with Arizona State.

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Starting quarterback Behren Morton gave fans of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team another scare on Saturday, Oct. 11. He left early in the second quarter after taking a sack against the Kansas Jayhawks, exiting with an ankle injury.

However, there is optimism for his status ahead of a critical contest with the reigning Big 12 champions, the Arizona State Sun Devils.

"Behren's day-to-day. He feels a lot better than what he did after the Arkansas-Pine Bluff game," McGuire said at Texas Tech's press conference on Monday, Oct. 13.

"I mean, 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 played, I've ever coached. His pain tolerance and just toughness and care factor is really high."

This comes after national reports expressed optimism in Morton's status, with CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reporting on Sunday, Oct. 12, that "there’s optimism he won’t end up missing any games." Similarly, On3 reporter Brett McMurphy said that Morton's X-rays and MRI came back negative, and his status for Week 8 would be determined later in the week.

McGuire said there was not a specific date at which they would know Morton's status, and even if he does not practice this week, that would not preclude him from playing against Arizona State.

"We go back two years ago, and our quarterback [Morton] didn't practice seven weeks in a row and went out and won Big 12 games," McGuire said. "… He's shown the ability to go play at a really high level without it."

McGuire said he also feels confident, not only because of Morton's toughness, but also because he has Will Hammond as the team's backup. The young signal caller has now come into three games this season and performed admirably.

WILL HAMMOND TRUCKS HIM INTO THE END ZONE 💪@TexasTechFB pic.twitter.com/Mg2GF9PQlx

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 12, 2025

While there was concern that Texas Tech's game at Arizona State could be a battle of QB2s, it seems as though Morton could be ready. Similarly, McGuire said he expects Sun Devils starter Sam Leavitt to play in Week 8; he was ruled out for Week 7 with an undisclosed injury, with veteran passer Jeff Sims suiting up in a loss to Utah.

The status of defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard is less optimistic, though it is not as bleak as it may have seemed in the moment. McGuire called Gill-Howard "a little bit more questionable," and he said he would meet with a specialist to get a second opinion. However, the timing of this appointment could play a factor in his availability.

"We want to send him to an expert in Dallas to see how fast we can get him back and exactly what, possibly, we need to do," McGuire said. "And so he's going to be a little bit more questionable if he can go, and especially depends on how far out that appointment is — like if it could be Thursday — and so we'll see."

Following the game against Kansas, McGuire said that Gill-Howard's X-rays came back negative, and they attempted to test whether he was capable of returning. He was not ready to get back on the field, but the injury was not as bad as initially expected after he was carted off just five snaps into the afternoon.

Joey McGuire said Skyler Gill-Howard X-ray was negative, such that an athletic trainer went with him to the indoor facility to see if he could be mobile enough to return to the game. He didn't look that good, McGuire said. Still, not as bad as it originally looked, apparently.

— Don Williams (@AJ_DonWilliams) October 12, 2025

"I mean, we're football banged up," McGuire said. "You're always going to have bumps and bruises and not feel great, and then by Tuesday you're feeling a lot better. [Head athletic trainer Michael Ramirez] says it all the time: 'Movement's medicine.' And by the time they get to Tuesday, and with the facilities we have to get guys to feel a lot better, they feel pretty good."

As Texas Tech shoots for its first Big 12 title in the McGuire era, it will need to survive the war of attrition. The Red Raiders, all things considered, are in pretty good shape heading into the eighth week of the season, and a key matchup with Arizona State will be another test for the squad.