Lance Leipold says ‘pocket knife’ was thrown at KU staff from Texas Tech crowd
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Leipold accuses Big 12 officials of mishandling object-throwing and enforcement.
- A pocket knife struck a KU staffer, Leipold alleged, prompting a penalty flag.
- Texas Tech received two 15-yard penalties; coaches urge fans to stop throwing objects.
After Kansas football’s blowout loss to Texas Tech, coach Lance Leipold took exception to a longstanding tradition in Lubbock, Texas.
And he blasted the Big 12 conference office in the process, saying the situation Saturday night was “handled very poorly,” while also alleging a pocket knife was thrown at a KU staff member.
That tradition involves Texas Tech students throwing tortillas on the field — at the start of the game. But it has been outlawed when the game is actually going on. And after three instances, a Lubbock Avalanche-Journal article notes, the team is supposed to be penalized.
The Jayhawks lost 42-17. In the process, Texas Tech earned two different unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for tortillas and other objects being thrown on the field.
The first was given at the start of the second quarter. Tech earned the second penalty at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
“It was handled very poorly,” Leipold said.
Leipold and the KU staff were also upset about another object.
According to a KU Athletics spokesperson, a “Swiss army pocket knife” hit a Kansas staff member in the third quarter, which is why Tech was penalized the second time.
“A pocket knife was thrown and hit one of our staff members,” Leipold said in his postgame news conference. “It’s ridiculous. It’s (the rule) supposed to be for safety and things like that. It’s a culture that’s been accepted to a point, and it hasn’t changed. Eventually, somebody is going to be seriously hurt, unfortunately.”
In August, Big 12 athletic directors voted 15-1 to penalize teams for objects thrown on the field. The lone opposing vote was Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt.
He encouraged the Red Raiders’ tradition despite the vote’s result.
“Red Raiders, the rules can change. But our tradition will not. How about the @UnitedWestTexas Opening Kickoff Tortilla Launch? #15To1,” Hocutt tweeted.
Leipold felt the new protocols weren’t followed.
“Our conference office — you can ask Scott Draper (Big 12 chief football and competition officer) and them — was very poor at handling it,” Leipold said. “One of the officials got hit and tried to throw a flag, but it got picked up, so that was disappointing.
“We have a policy put in that wasn’t followed through, so I was very disappointed in how that was. Obviously, they have a great crowd and they really get into it.”
Leipold also noted that the officials were frustrated after a flag was picked up at the urging of the replay operations center.
After the game, Leipold and Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire had a tense exchange on the field. It is unclear if McGuire was made aware of the allegation of a pocket knife being thrown, or just about the repeated tortilla toss rules violations.
“It’s frustrating. I’m frustrated and I know he (Leipold) was frustrated,” McGuire said in his postgame news conference. “We got a new rule in this league and we know the rule and we didn’t follow it. We got penalized tonight, two 15-yard penalties. He was frustrated on that side. We’ve got to be better. We’ve got to find a way to do a better job as a whole — all of us.
“We will. We’ve got two weeks to have a better plan and get the point across of what the rule is because it’s going to catch up with us. I mean, the first one nearly did because the game was a little bit tighter than you wanted, but it’s going to catch up to us. It’s frustrating because it’s kind of like whenever I talk to the guys — make it about the football.”
McGuire told his fan base to focus on being louder rather than throwing tortillas.
“If you’re throwing tortillas more than once, now it becomes all about you,” he said. “ Is that a Red Raider? You came to this game, you love this team and you’re passionate about this team, but yet you’re going to throw another tortilla and you know it’s against the rules.”
This story was originally published October 12, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Lance Leipold says ‘pocket knife’ was thrown at KU staff from Texas Tech crowd."
