Breaking down Texas Tech’s tortilla toss tradition and why it’s banned
When No. 8 Texas Tech takes the field this Saturday against No. 7 BYU (12 p.m. ET, ABC), the on-field action between the two top-10 Big 12 teams may seem familiar, but something will be missing from the game’s opening kickoff aesthetic: tortillas won’t be flying in Jones AT&T Stadium.
The signature sign a Red Raiders football game is taking place has been around since the late 1980s — home or away. It reached its peak during the 1990s and has since become cemented in college football lore.
While meant for Texas Tech fans, even some players have taken part in the tradition.
Most recently, during Colorado‘s 2024 matchup against the Red Raiders in Lubbock, former two-way Heisman Trophy winner and current Jacksonville Jaguars WR/CB Travis Hunter snagged a tortilla that landed a few inches in front of him on the field seconds before a Texas Tech snap and stuffed it in his pants.
Midgame snack? Perhaps.
But the tradition seems to be over after the Big 12 doubled down on a cancellation.
Here is everything you need to know about Texas Tech’s tortilla tradition.
When and why did the tortilla toss begin?
In the late 1980s, Texas Tech fans would throw the lids of their 44-ounce Cokes onto the field, according to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal. Concessions discontinued the sales of the large sodas, resulting in fans resorting to a cheaper and easily accessible item: tortillas.
One theory traces the tradition back to 1992, when Texas Tech faced then-No. 5 Texas A&M in College Station and an announcer said there was “nothing but Tech football and a tortilla factory in Lubbock,” leading up to the game, prompting fans to toss tortillas in response.
When did the tortilla toss get banned?
Texas Tech officially announced the change to its game-day fan policy on Oct. 20, stating that objects thrown in Jones AT&T Stadium — name-dropping tortillas specifically — would result in immediate ejection and the prevention of future ticket privileges for the remainder of the season for the fans who commit the act.
The school also directly asked fans not to participate in the tortilla toss “at any point in the game.”
Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt and head coach Joey McGuire also announced the halt of the game-day tradition in a news conference that same day.
Why did the tortilla toss get banned?
In August, Big 12 athletic directors voted to penalize teams 15 yards after two warnings for objects being thrown onto the field. It was a 15-1 vote –Texas Tech’s Hocutt being the only AD to vote against the matter.
Hocutt was determined to find a way to keep the tortilla toss tradition alive, writing on social media after the decision: “the rules can change. But our tradition will not.”
Texas Tech then matched up with Kansas on Oct. 11 in Lubbock, where the Red Raiders were assessed two penalties for fans throwing tortillas in a 42-17 win. Following the victory, McGuire embraced Kansas head coach Lance Leipold at midfield, where the two had a heated exchange over the tortillas.
Leipold called out the Big 12 about the issue, saying it was “poorly handled.”
With the Red Raiders off to one of the best starts in school history, Hocutt and McGuire ultimately changed course on the tradition.
“We know that as Red Raiders, no one tells us what to do. We make our own decisions. This situation is on me. I leaned into throwing tortillas at the beginning of the football season. Now I must ask everyone to stop,” Hocutt said.
How is the tortilla toss ban being enforced?
Texas Tech says that it has installed a number of new surveillance cameras to help with security in Jones AT&T Stadium. It will refer to the cameras to point out violators who throw tortillas — or any other item — which could result in immediate ejection and the loss of future ticket privileges for the remainder of the season.
As for the Red Raiders program, officials will assess a warning before a 15-yard penalty and $100,000 fine is issued.
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin quarterback Danny O’Neil was carted off the field and into the locker room after injuring his leg in the first quarter of the Badgers’ game against No. 24 Washington (No. 23 College Football Playoff) on Saturday.
O’Neil got up at the end of a 21-yard keeper, limped and then went back down and clutched his right leg. Wisconsin announced in the second quarter that O’Neil would miss the rest of the game with what was officially ruled a lower-body injury.
The San Diego State transfer was making his first start since a Sept. 13 loss to Alabama, though he had played in a reserve role Sept. 20 against Maryland and Oct. 18 against Ohio State.
Freshman Carter Smith took over for O’Neil and made his college debut Saturday.
Quarterback issues have hindered Wisconsin throughout the season. Billy Edwards Jr. was Wisconsin’s first-team quarterback at the start of the year, but he sprained his knee in the second quarter of the Badgers’ season opener and has played only one full series since.
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Jake Trotter
Ohio State standout receiver Carnell Tate sat out Saturday’s game against Purdue after suffering a minor undisclosed injury during pregame warmups.
Coach Ryan Day said the Buckeyes held Tate out just as a precaution.
“[Tate] wanted to play,” Day said, “but we’ve got a lot of football ahead us.”
The top-ranked Buckeyes (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) still defeated Purdue 34-10 to remain unbeaten. Jeremiah Smith led Ohio State with a career-high 10 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown.
This season, Tate has 39 receptions for 711 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns.
The Buckeyes play UCLA next weekend.
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