College programs thrive on alumni who never truly let go, and the strongest turn that loyalty into a competitive edge. You see it when Pat McAfee cheers on West Virginia or when Peyton Manning returns to Knoxville to mentor Tennessee’s quarterbacks. The presence of former stars returning to their roots has become part of the game’s rhythm. Now, Patrick Mahomes joins that tradition. His relationship with Texas Tech extends far beyond nostalgia; when that kind of alumni gravity exists, it lifts everything around it.
Texas Tech needed that gravity the moment Behren Morton limped off in Week 1. The offense had already flashed the vertical bite that defines the Red Raiders, then the mood shifted as trainers gathered and plans adjusted on the fly. By daybreak, the outreach had already started, proof that support in Lubbock is operational. Morton’s toughness isn’t in question. The question was timing, rhythm, and the steady reassurance that the program’s biggest voice was close at hand.
On the Jim Rome Show, head coach Joey McGuire pulled back the curtain on the immediacy of that support: “He truly is that engaged. I mean, Behren got banged up week one and literally that morning, I had a text about 6:30 in the morning saying, ‘Hey, how’s Behren doing,’ you know, and checking in on him.” That’s the pattern of a superstar who still treats the building like a second locker room. The message matters as much as the words: we’re watching, we care, and the work continues today. For a locker room, that’s oxygen.
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McGuire didn’t stop there, sketching the broader picture of Patrick Mahomes’ day-to-day imprint: “And he’s been engaged anytime that we’ve had a high-profile recruit, and he was even engaged in recruiting the best softball player in the country. Whenever we were able to get the pitch from Stanford, she’s incredible. But he was engaged the whole time, and he loves this place. If you ask him, this is the reason he is who he is. It changed his life coming to Texas Tech. It’s really cool to have somebody like that on your side.”
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His willingness to jump on calls with priority visitors, his habit of publicly boosting Tech recruiting wins, and lending his platform to other Red Raider programs, softball included, have been much needed for Texas Tech. And his own words over the years, crediting Texas Tech for shaping him, explain why that engagement keeps showing up when it matters most.
Programs chase edges, cultures create them. Texas Tech has one in Patrick Mahomes, and it shows up when the cameras aren’t rolling, at 6:30 a.m., in a recruit’s living room, in a huddle that needs confidence more than scheme. Behren Morton will get healthy, games will tighten, and the Big 12 grind will arrive right on time. But the Red Raiders will meet it with a living, breathing reminder that the jersey never comes off, and the standard is bigger than any Saturday.
Morton’s four TDs power Texas Tech past Oregon State
A 2½-hour weather delay couldn’t cool No. 21 Texas Tech, which throttled Oregon State 45-14 to move to 3-0 for the first time in Joey McGuire’s four seasons. Play halted just 2½ minutes in, then the Red Raiders promptly hit the gas, with Coy Eakin scoring on the third snap after the restart and a 28-0 halftime cushion setting the tone. Cameron Dickey punched in a short touchdown, and Upton Bellenfant added a 21-yard field goal as Texas Tech blended explosive plays with control in a game that demanded patience, focus, and depth.
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Behren Morton authored the night’s signature performance: four touchdown passes—38 yards to Eakin, 61 to Caleb Douglas, 30 to J’Koby Williams, and 23 to Terrance Carter—showcasing a vertical rhythm that survived the stoppage and stretched the Beavers’ secondary to breaking. Williams added a rushing score to pair with his receiving TD, underlining the offense’s balance at the goal line and in space. Morton played three periods for the first time this season and now sits at 852 passing yards and 11 touchdown throws heading into Big 12 play, a blistering start built on decisiveness, layered concepts, and timely protection.
Oregon State found late-life cosmetics as Maalik Murphy tossed fourth-quarter touchdowns to Bryce Caufield and Karson Boschma, but the night was already red and black. The Beavers are 0-3 for the first time since 2011 and have now dropped 18 straight road games against ranked opponents since upsetting No. 19 UCLA in 2012, a stark metric of how narrow the margins are in these spots. The road only steepens: Oregon State visits No. 4 Oregon next, while Texas Tech heads to No. 20 Utah, carrying a defense that pitched a first-half shutout, special teams that banked points, and an offense that answered a long delay with longer strikes.