Neither head coach Joey McGuire nor director of athletics Kirby Hocutt was thrilled about the Big 12 Conference’s other athletic directors essentially shutting down a longstanding Texas Tech football tradition.
Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported Thursday that Big 12 ADs voted 15-1 (Hocutt confirmed he was the lone nay vote) “to solidify an existing game management policy related to the throwing of items onto the playing surface.”
Shortly after McGuire and the football team’s coordinators finished their scheduled media availability, Hocutt spoke to the media to offer some clarity on how the situation came to pass.
Hocutt said he was in Dallas on Wednesday (Aug. 13) for a regular meeting among Big 12 athletic directors. The rule was listed under an agenda surrounding sportsmanship and fan behavior heading into the 2025-26 academic year. Hocutt’s fellow ADs wanted to clarify steps to be taken when objects are thrown onto the field.
Dellenger’s report said the solidifying of the rule amounts to a three-strike policy. Fans can continue to throw tortillas on the opening kickoff and one other time throughout a game, which would both result in warnings. A third infraction could result in a 15-yard penalty being issued.
“I think our fans are gonna do a phenomenal job,” McGuire said, “and I think we’re gonna be in some really great games and they’re gonna understand the need for us to not take a 15-yarder or anything like that.”
McGuire noted instances in last year’s Texas-Georgia contest and Tech’s home game against Colorado where objects other than tortillas found their way onto the field. While Hocutt said the rule discussed involved such occurrences, he admitted Tech’s gameday environment and tortilla-throwing tradition was a big chunk of the discussion surrounding the new rule.
“Credit to (assistant athletics director for equipment operations) Zane Perry,” Hocutt said. “He shot me a text and said, ‘We want to make sure that the visiting athletic director’s suite has the freshest, warmest tortillas in the state on that day.’ I will accommodate all my colleagues when they come to make sure they have tortillas.”
Hocutt said the group did not discuss how things would play out if, for example, opposing fans were to launch tortillas onto the field, or how it would be handled when Tech is on the road.
A potential workaround for the enhanced rule, Hocutt said, is that it only applies to items, such as tortillas, landing on the playing surface.
“You can throw a tortilla up in the air as many times as you would like to,” Hocutt said, “but once it comes onto the field, that’s when the sanctions will begin.”
Hocutt added he feels Texas Tech has several gameday traditions that stand out, including the team’s entrance onto the field, and the best traditions come about organically. He also said he’s already spoken with folks at United Supermarkets, one of Tech’s prominent sponsors, on ways to make the most of the situation.
Like McGuire, Hocutt is putting his faith in Red Raider fans to adhere to the crackdown on tortilla tossing.
“I know that there’s no Red Raider whatsoever,” Hocutt said, “that’s going to do anything to penalize this football program.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Is the tortilla toss banned at Texas Tech football games? Kirby Hocutt, Joey McGuire comment
Reporting by Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
