Riding the Tyler train: Shough to start for Texas Tech in Texas Bowl

When Texas Tech plays Mississippi this month in the Texas Bowl, the Red Raiders will stick with the quarterback who's been at the controls during their season-ending three-game win streak.

Tech coach Joey McGuire said he expects Tyler Shough to start the bowl game based on Shough's recent performance and on Behren Morton not being fully recovered from the ankle injury he suffered on Oct. 8 at Oklahoma State and aggravated on Nov. 5 at TCU.

The Red Raiders are 4-0 this season with Shough starting, the wins coming in the season opener against Murray State and the past three games against Kansas, Iowa State and Oklahoma. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior from Chandler, Arizona suffered a broken collarbone in the opener and didn't regain the starting job until the 10th game.

"He's got a decision to make," McGuire told reporters Sunday night. "He's played really well. I think at the start of the year, before he got hurt, he would tell you he'd declare for the (NFL) draft. Every scout that we talk to feels like he has a future on Sunday.

"And so if he comes out and plays well in this bowl game, does that make a decision where it's like, 'I'm coming out,' or does he come back? At the end of the day, we've got some really good quarterbacks."

Shough could return in 2023 on the Covid-bonus year. Beyond that, he also could seek a medical hardship waiver for the 2021 season, when he suffered a broken collarbone early in the fourth game.

Tech (7-5) and Ole Miss (8-4) square off at 8 p.m. Dec. 28 at NRG Stadium in Houston.

After Shough's injury in the first game of this season, 2021 Liberty Bowl most valuable player Donovan Smith started games two through five and Morton started games six through nine. Smith has thrown for 1,505 yards and 12 touchdowns, Morton for 1,117 yards and seven TDs and Shough for 1,068 yards and six TDs.

A source confirmed to the Avalanche-Journal on Monday that Smith is having his name entered into the NCAA transfer portal.

"Behren is still not a hundred percent (healthy)," McGuire said. "He took snaps last week. We practiced two practices with our young guys, and we had him out there. All he did was throw. He didn't do anything else or hand the ball off, but he's still not a hundred percent, so I expect Tyler to be the starter there, and then he's got a decision to make."

Thompson good to go

Running back SaRodorick Thompson, limping at the end of the regular-season finale against Oklahoma, has bounced back fine, McGuire said, and could have played if the Red Raiders had had a game Saturday.

McGuire said Thompson suffered a bone bruise in one of his ankles, but X-rays were negative and after rehabbing the injury last week he's ready to play again.

"He ran and lifted last week, so he was fine," McGuire said, "so he'll be a hundred percent. He'll be a hundred percent tomorrow in practice."

Thompson has shared the rushing load with Tahj Brooks all season, Thompson carrying 132 times for 670 yards and six touchdowns and Brooks carrying 133 times for 601 yards and seven TDs.

Securing Blanchard

Tech announced Friday that director of player personnel James Blanchard, who oversees identifying talent and recruiting, has agreed to a two-year extension for undisclosed financial terms.

An Avalanche-Journal source said Texas A&M and Nebraska tried to coax Blanchard away from Tech in recent days.

"He's told a lot of people 'no' this year," McGuire said. "I said, 'I know you're going to say 'no' (to other suitors), but let's figure out how you don't have to tell anybody else 'no' anymore, and it's beneficial for you and beneficial for us to lock you down.'

"Y'all know what I think. He was on the plane (to Lubbock) with me day one (in November 2021). I think he's the best evaluator in college football. I think he has a unique talent of being able to talk to players, talk to parents and he's (working) 24/7."

Early sales top 4,000

As of 5 p.m. Monday, Tech donors and season-ticket holders had spoken for about 4,100 tickets of Tech's Texas Bowl allotment of 6,000, senior associate athletics director Robert Giovannetti said.

Tech will put any unclaimed tickets from the allotment on sale to the general public at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Tech student seats will go on sale at the same time with students required to purchase their tickets in person with a student ID at the Tech athletics ticket office.

Avalanche-Journal sports editor Carlos Silva Jr. contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Tyler Shough to be Texas Tech starting quarterback in Texas Bowl