What's the injury status of Behren Morton and Skyler Gill-Howard after the Texas Tech football win?

Texas Tech football fans may be able to breathe a sigh of relief after seeing two key starters exit the first half of Saturday's 42-17 win over Kansas in Jones AT&T Stadium.

The Red Raiders (6-0, 3-0) outscored the Jayhawks 21-0 in the second half. Cameron Dickey ran for the fifth-most yards in a game in program history (263, 2 touchdowns), and the defense broke the single-game record with nine sacks, eight of them coming against Kansas' dual-threat quarterback Jalon Daniels.

They did this without one of its key defensive linemen and the starting quarterback for much of the game. Defensive tackle Skyler-Gill Howard was "leg whipped pretty good," according to head coach Joey McGuire, on a play by linebacker Charles Esters. Gill-Howard was carted off the field in the first quarter.

Behren Morton, meanwhile, can't seem to catch a break. He took a sack in the second quarter and stayed down, punching the turf in anger and being helped off the field. Morton returned to the sidelines after the half in street clothes and did not return.

McGuire felt optimistic about Gill-Howard's injury prognosis. Trainers put an air cast and carted Gill-Howard off the field in the first quarter and took him over to the indoor facility to check him out. They taped up the ankle, but it didn't look good, so they placed a boot on him.

Gill-Howard returned to the field in full uniform but also did not return to the game.

"We'll see tomorrow exactly where he is," McGuire said.

As for Morton, McGuire said Morton injured the same leg that he did against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He didn't specify the nature of this injury, but acknowledged Morton's visible anger and frustration that he showed while leaving the field.

"You get initial reads and everything," McGuire said, "but we'll know a lot more tomorrow. The great thing is we have the best trainers in America. ... If they can play and they're ready next Saturday, they'll be on the field."

Morton has played the entirety of one game this season, which came last week against Houston. He's left two others due to their blowout nature and three due to injury: the season opener against Pine Bluff with a leg injury, the Utah game with a concussion, and the Kansas game.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Behren Morton, Texas Tech football injury updates after win over Kansas