Texas Tech’s high-powered offense will be without some top weapons at Liberty Bowl

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

The offense that Texas Tech put out on the field during its regular season and scored a nation;’s fifth-best 38.6 points per game will look significantly different in the postseason.

Arkansas (6-6) and Texas Tech (8-4) will meet in Memphis for the Liberty Bowl on Friday, Dec. 27 at 6 p.m.

The Red Raiders will be without injured starting quarterback Beheren Morton (shoulder surgery), top receiver Josh Kelly (left team to prepare for NFL draft) and offensive coordinator Zack Kittley.

They will also possibly be without starting running back Tajh Brooks, who rushed for 1,505 yards and 17 touchdowns this season and may opt out of the bowl.

Red Raiders passing game coordinator Justin “Juice” Johnson will take over play-calling duties for Kittley, who left to take over the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic.

“I’m very excited for the opportunity,” Johnson said. “Super gracious and humbled by the opportunity that I have available.

“I’m just really trying to step outside of myself, because there’s a lot of opportunity for a lot of guys, you know, from young coaches getting to take on more of a role, young players getting to take on more of a role. So very humble and very blessed.”

The Red Raiders have had 13 players enter the portal, but the majority are expected to play in the bowl per head coach Joey McGuire.

“There are going to be some guys who haven’t played that much, some they will be playing for the first time, “ Johnson said.

“Definitely not thinking about how can I leave my stamp on it for the first time. We just want to be prepared and give our team the best chance to go out and win the game. We have a good plan.”

Johnson talked about the change in responsibilities, who spent the past two years serving as assistant head coach, receivers coach and passing game coordinator.

“I would just say the biggest difference is just probably scripting and getting everything prepared,” Johnson said. “Outside of that it’s pretty normal. From an added responsibility, just scripting and the preparation of practice, kind of itemizing things and organizing things of what we need to see, different looks we need to see.”

Johnson called plays during the team’s spring game and also had some duties when at Baylor in the covid season.

He plans to call play from the Liberty Bowl press box instead of the field.

“I’m gonna go to the box,” Johnson said. “I’ve been up in the box before. I’m gonna let some of our younger coaches come down and have opportunity to be really engaged and be involved in some of the position stuff. So I’m gonna go up to the box and call it from the box.”

Freshman Will Hammond will get his first college start after completing 15 of 23 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown and rushing 12 times for 36 yards and two more scores.

Hammond played in three games this season with his most significant effort in a 35-34 loss at TCU on Oct. 26 in which he was 10 of 15 passing for 121 yards.

“The biggest thing I took away from that game was how do I get to what’s next?” Hammond said. “… I have a really good rack of four plays, what’s next? If the next four plays later on in practice aren’t good, then what’s the point?

“You have to be able to maximize the present moment. That’s something I really honed in on, just, let’s be great right now. Let’s really be in the present moment. Let’s go win right now, because that’s all that matters is the present moment.”

Texas Tech wide receiver Caleb Douglas (55 catches, 762 yards, 6 touchdowns), has faith in Hammond.

Hammond was the leading high school passer in Texas last season while throwing for 3,991 yards and 35 touchdowns and rushing for 1,099 and 19 additional scores for Hutto.

“There’s kind of no fall off,” Douglas said. “Will is always ready. Even when Behren was here during the season, he’s back there taking mental reps. Him just getting in there now, he’s actually doing the physical reps.”

Morton passed for 3,335 yards and 27 touchdowns this season while throwing 8 interceptions with Kelly hauling in 89 passes for 1,023 yards and five touchdowns in a second-team All Big 12 selection season.

Not only is Morton unavailable, but back up signal caller Cam Brown and Jake Strong entered the transfer portal.

Stong is expected to still play in the bowl, leaving Texas Tech with two scholarship quarterbacks for the Liberty Bowl.

“We’ll have a plan there,” Johnson said. “We’re going to look for Will to roll and if something were to happen, we’ll have a plan prepared for that. You might see some guest appearances, you never know, but we’ll have a plan for that.”

Kelly, a six-year senior, had over 3,200 career receiving yards with previous stops at Fresno State and Washington State.

He joined Arkansas star wideout Andrew Armstrong as one of 20 college receivers with over 1,000 yards this season.

If Brooks doesn’t play, freshmen Cam Dickey (26 carries for 151 yards) and J’Koby Williams (26 carries for 113 yards) would likely get those snaps.

“He (Brooks) said, ‘Coach, the closer and closer we get to the game, I’ll make that decision,’ ” McGuire related. “If he does play, of course that’s going to be incredible. If he doesn’t, then we’re going to see J’Koby Williams and Cam Dickey.”

Photo courtesy of Texas Tech