Is that a tortilla in your pocket, Travis Hunter?
Texas Tech threw everything it had at the CU Buffs. And we do mean everything. Shallow crosses. Wheel routes. Tortillas. Water bottles.
With 12:12 to go in a bizarrely played and even more bizarrely officiated 41-27 CU victory on Saturday, things devolved to the point where Red Raiders football coach Joey McGuire grabbed the public-address microphone at Jones AT&T Stadium.
“Hey … students!” McGuire shouted. “Stop throwing stuff on the field! Please!”
Early in the first quarter, Hunter picked up a tortilla that had drifted onto the field. The best player in college football, who apparently also hates littering, promptly stuck it in his pants.
With 1:18 left in the third quarter and his Buffs up 31-20, Shilo Sanders spotted a water bottle thrown his way. The CU safety grabbed the thing and lofted it back into the stands.
Big 12 refs had about as much control of that tilt as Mr. Toad did his Rolls Royce limousine. CU and Tech combined for 23 penalties and 186 yards in sins. It was the kind of afternoon where, if McGuire and CU coach Deion Sanders weren’t such good friends, someone would’ve started swinging fists or folding chairs by the fourth quarter.
The Buffs’ cooler heads prevailed. Despite the chaos, CU (7-2, 5-1 Big 12) moved into sole possession of second place in the conference with three games left to play.
The Buffs extended their road win streak to four straight for the first time since 1996. They survived a 13-0 deficit in the first quarter, and shook off 15 minutes straight of getting punched in the kisser.
But more impressively, they endured a barrage from some of the trashiest fans in college football.
Throwing tortillas? That’s cute.
Throwing a water bottle? That’s assault.
Lubbock didn’t like the refs, so it lost its cool. It didn’t like the scoreboard, so it lost its dang mind.
“I had a vape given to me, (a) water bottle given to me and a beer bottle given to me,” McGuire said later, according to KTXT-FM. “I’m shocked we didn’t get a penalty.”
Travis Hunter (12) of the Colorado Buffaloes runs for a touchdown during the second half of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium on Nov. 9, 2024, in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Tech officials were lucky someone wasn’t seriously hurt. While Red Raider fans struggled to grasp common decency and sportsmanship, Tech’s offensive and defensive lines struggled with CU in the trenches.
Tech tailback Tajh Brooks, who was averaging 5.3 yards per carry at home before Saturday, was limited to 4.4 per tote on 31 attempts. CU piled up 11 tackles for loss and sacked Raiders QB Behren Morton six times.
Just like the road demolitions of UCF and Arizona, the Buffs had several players take turns with the crowbar. Amari McNeil, a transfer from the Tennessee Volunteers, racked up 1.5 sacks, along with three stops for losses. Linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green, another transfer, picked off a Morton pass, …read more
Source:: The Denver Post – Sports
