Leftwich complimentary of Morton’s play through three weeks
Texas Tech’s offense was firing on all cylinders in the non-con schedule– offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich was complimentary of Behren Morton’s play that led the way.
Morton delivered career numbers Saturday against Oregon State, impressing Leftwich with his play through the first three weeks.
“I’m very pleased with where he’s at, he hasn’t played a whole game yet which is a good thing,” Leftwich told the media Monday. “There’s a lot of room for growth. I think that’s the one thing as a coach, you’ll never be satisfied. I think there’s probably three or four plays, in especially the last two games, where I thought he needs to clean some things up and sharpen some things. There’s room for growth and he knows that. That’s a good thing about Behren is he’s a coach’s kid. He wants to get coached. He wants to be as good as can be so he’s going to go attack those things.”
Leftwich takes blame for Morton’s interception
Joey McGuire made it known after the OSU game that the sidelines have a different feel to them. He was complimentary of both Leftwich and Shiel Wood and their abilities as playcallers. Leftwich has exuded a different atmosphere on the sideline. He reflected as such when Behren Morton threw an interception against the Beavers. Instead of berating Morton, Leftwich took accountability for the mishap.
“Actually, I just told him that was my fault. I called the protection. Thought it was going to be zero pressure and I messed it up,” Leftwich said. “I took the blame for that one and sometimes the coaches get it wrong, too. Put him in a bad situation I shouldn’t have. I just told him that was my fault. Had a little joke. I try to keep it light-hearted. He’s already hard enough on himself. In those moments, me yelling at him or getting on to him isn’t going to do anything that helps the situation. I just took responsibility for that one.”
Attacking the weaknesses in Utah prep to play complimentary offense
With the full non-con under their belts, the Red Raiders’ offense can begin to remedy any weaknesses they found. So far, Morton has excelled in the offense. If Morton continues to focus and address what the staff wants improved, his game could take another leap.
“That’s a big thing coach (McGuire) talked about going into this week,” Leftwich said. “Just any of the weaknesses we had on film these first three weeks, really going in and attacking those things as a unit. Then individually in your position group. We’ll work on the stuff (Morton) needs to clean up but I’ve been very pleased. I think he’s playing with a lot of confidence, a lot of swagger. He’s going out there kind of letting it rip, which is what you want to see.”
