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Thanks to Texas, College Football Fans Won't Stop Throwing Things on the Field

Nick Roushby:Nick Roush11/10/24

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Texas vs Georgia via Brett Patzke-Imagn Images
Texas vs Georgia via Brett Patzke-Imagn Images

When Texas made its move to the SEC alongside rival Oklahoma, we knew it would change the sport of college football forever. We just didn’t know it would change in such a stupid way.

Three weeks ago, undefeated top-ranked Texas was on the ropes, on the verge of getting embarrassed at home by Georgia. Longhorn fans are used to getting whatever they want, so they did what they do best, they threw a temper tantrum. That wasn’t the only thing they threw.

A pass interference call on Texas overturned a Carson Beck interception. That’s when Texas fans lost their minds and began launching debris onto the field. The game was stopped to clean up the trash and during the stoppage, the pass interference call was overturned, giving the ball back to Texas.

The Longhorns were fined $250,000 by the league office and the school set out to identify individuals who threw trash on the field and ban them from the stadium. Too late. A dangerous precedent was set. In four straight weeks, fans have thrown garbage on the field following a call they don’t like.

Debris Rains Down in Texas Tech vs. Colorado

On Saturday afternoon in Lubbock, a 6-hour drive from Austin, the Texas Tech Red Raiders had a chance to knock the Colorado Buffaloes out of the CFB Playoff picture and rise up the Big 12 standings. Big 12 officials decided otherwise.

Sure, Texas Tech made plenty of self-inflicted mistakes to dig themselves into a hole against Coach Prime’s squad, but that doesn’t take away from how terrible the officiating was in Lubbock. A questionable roughing the passer kept a Colorado drive alive, ultimately resulting in a touchdown. That led to a stupid fake punt call by Texas Tech. Just a few minutes later, the Red Raiders were desperate on fourth down and got absolutely hosed. There was no facemask called and a targeting penalty was overturned.

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While the targeting was being reviewed, Texas Tech students began launching things onto the field. It wasn’t the first time debris entered the playing field, and the Red Raiders were in danger of being penalized. Head coach Joey McGuire was given a microphone to scream at the students. “STOP THROWING STUFF ON THE FIELD!”

While I’d like to blame the University of Texas for beginning this chain of shenanigans, there is precedent. Somehow, some way, it’s a Texas Tech tradition to throw tortillas onto the playing field. If you thought letting fans bring cowbells into stadiums was silly, this one really takes the cake.

“They’ve thrown everything but my Momma at me in my career,” Deion Sanders said after Colorado escaped with a 41-27 win. “You gotta understand, I played baseball and football, so batteries and all kind of stuff. This is normal. We try to prepare our young men for that. Thank God a tortilla — that’s what you call it right? — it’s soft. It’s not hard.”

One thing we did learn about tortillas is that you can write on them. That’s exactly what Shedeur Sanders did after the game. The future first-round pick signed his autograph on a Texas Tech tortilla. What a sport.

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