Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders Revisit Tortilla Incident as Texas Tech HC Issues Apology

For more than 30 years, Texas Tech fans have thrown tortillas at sporting events. Nobody is quite sure what exactly spawned the tradition. But in Lubbock, the Red Raiders’ faithful continue upholding the history.

That didn’t change on Saturday when they hosted No. 20 Colorado on the gridiron. Tortillas rained down to the field at the opening kickoff and throughout the course of the Buffaloes’ 41-27 victory.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders talked about the flying food following the win. When asked if he “has ever experienced” such a phenomenon, Sanders recalled moments from both of his professional careers where he had to dodge much more dangerous material:

“They’ve thrown everything but my momma at me… you gotta understand, I played baseball and football. So [I’ve seen] batteries and all kind of stuff… this is normal…Thank God a tortilla… is soft. It’s not hard. But when they start throwing the water bottles and those other objects, that’s when you’ve gotta alarm the officials.”

The fans got so out of control at one point that Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire pleaded for them to stop tossing things onto the field.

Sanders told reporters McGuire apologized to him about his fanbase’s actions. He expressed gratitude for McGuire’s intentions and said it’s “indicative [of] who he is.” It doesn’t seem the visiting team minded the tortillas too much either, as QB Shedeur Sanders even autographed one.

Tortillas rained over the Buffs

The Red Raiders’ fanbase’s tortilla tradition made waves on social media all day long. Colorado’s players, for better or worse, appeared to take things in stride. Heisman candidate Travis Hunter removed one tortilla from the playing surface in an unusual fashion on the game’s first snap.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders also got in on the fun. After slicing up Texas Tech’s defense for 305 total yards and four combined touchdowns, he gave a fan a one-of-a-kind piece of memorabilia: a signed tortilla shell.

Sanders discussed the tradition postgame. He said he “didn’t think that was legal” and thought it was unique. And because the Buffs’ sideline kept getting peppered with them, he couldn’t resist putting ink to flour.

“That was a bit odd. I didn’t ever heard of that, you know… it was different… they kept throwing them at me, so I had to [sign one].”

Colorado improved to 7-2 (5-1 Big-12) with the win. They return home next Saturday to take on the Utah Utes at 12:00 p.m. E.T.