Texas Tech starting quarterback Tyler Shough suffered a fractured fibula during the Red Raiders’ 20-13 road loss Saturday to West Virginia that will require surgery, according to multiple reports. Shough was carted from the field in the first quarter while wearing an air cast. Shough was replaced by Behren Morton, who finished 13 for 37 passing for 158 yards and a touchdown as the Red Raiders fell to 1-3 on the season in their second year under coach Joey McGuire.
A recovery timeline for Shough, who is in his third year with the Red Raiders after transferring from Oregon, is not immediately clear.
Shough’s injury is the latest in a string of ailments in his time at Texas Tech. Collarbone injuries in each of the past two seasons have derailed his hopes of a full season. Shough suffered a broken collarbone against Texas in Week 4 of the 2021 campaign that forced him to miss the remainder of the season. He then suffered another collarbone injury in the first game of the 2022 campaign that kept him out until the back half of the season, with Morton starting several games in his place.
Between two years at Oregon and three at Texas Tech, Shough has passed for 4,622 yards and 36 touchdowns against 17 interceptions. He was the Ducks’ starter during the abbreviated COVID-19 season in 2020, which resulted in Oregon winning the Pac-12 championship and reaching the Fiesta Bowl. Morton, with four starts, is the second-most experienced quarterback on the Red Raiders roster after Shough’s 13 starts for the program.
Entering the 2023 season, Shough was 8-1 as a starter at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders, however, lost their opening two games of the year — at Wyoming and at home against Oregon — before getting in the win column against Tarleton State in Week 3. The loss on Saturday at West Virginia leaves the Red Raiders still seeking their first win against an FBS opponent this season.
Texas Tech returns to action in Week 5 at home against Houston. The matchup pits the Red Raiders against quarterback Donovan Smith, who transferred from Texas Tech last offseason. It was Smith who initially took over for Shough as starter following last year’s injury before Morton later assumed that role after Smith himself was injured.