Senior wide receiver LaJohntay Wester rushes down the field with the ball before scoring a touchdown on Oct. 12, 2024 at the game against Kansas State. (Rachel Glazer/CU Independent)
The University of Colorado Buffaloes received great news at halftime of their matchup against Texas Tech on Saturday. The University of Kansas Jayhawks’ 45-36 victory over No. 17 Iowa State meant the Buffs could reach the Big 12 championship game if they won their last four games of the season.
The first of those final four games was against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Colorado entered Jones AT&T Stadium hoping to protect its two-game win streak and keep its Big 12 hopes alive. After forcing three turnovers and benefiting from a four-touchdown performance by Shedeur Sanders, the Buffaloes walked away with a 41-27 victory.
A trio of receivers—Travis Hunter, Will Sheppard, and LaJohntay Wester—combined for 260 yards and evenly shared Sanders’ three touchdown passes.
The Buffs fell behind early, trailing 13-0 at the end of the first quarter, but cut the deficit to 13-10 by halftime. Colorado’s first four possessions ended in punts, while the Red Raiders strung together quick scoring drives. The slow start was concerning, but whatever Coach Deion Sanders said in the locker room clearly sparked a turnaround.
The Buffaloes scored 21 points in the third quarter to seize momentum. In the postgame press conference, Sanders was asked about the halftime adjustments.
“It’s almost like they gotta get hit in the face, they gotta get slapped,” he said.
The third quarter was also emotional, marked by a series of controversial officiating calls that upset both Texas Tech fans and the Colorado sideline.
Since the late 1980s, fans at Jones AT&T Stadium have thrown tortillas onto the field after an ESPN announcer once quipped that there was nothing to do in Lubbock except watch Texas Tech football and visit a tortilla factory. The tradition continued on Saturday when, frustrated by the officiating, Red Raiders fans began tossing tortillas onto the field. At one point, Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire had to take to the microphone and plead for the students to stop.
“Stop throwing stuff on the field! Students, stop throwing stuff on the field! Please!” McGuire yelled to the crowd.
Sanders had a lighthearted take on the tortilla tradition after the game.
“I didn’t know throwing tortillas on the field was legal…We come here and they got a whole clean-up crew. They know what time it is,” he said.
Heading into the fourth quarter, Colorado held an 11-point lead, 31-20. The defense stepped up when it mattered most, forcing three turnovers in the final 15 minutes, including two fumbles and an interception. Shilo Sanders scooped up one of those fumbles and scored to seal the game.
Senior linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green made an impressive interception when he dropped back to read Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton’s eyes and snagged the ball just as Morton released it.
Colorado’s defense held Morton to 275 yards and forced 16 incompletions. The Buffaloes outscored Texas Tech 31-14 in the second half to close out the 41-27 win.
The victory improved Colorado’s conference record to 5-1 and moved the Buffaloes to 7-2 overall. Thanks to Kansas’ upset, the win also gave Colorado a clear path to the Big 12 title game. The Buffs’ fate is now in their own hands.
Colorado will return to Folsom Field for a 10 a.m. kickoff this Saturday against Utah, one of three teams the Buffs must defeat to close out the season. Big Noon Kickoff has already announced that they will be in Boulder to preview the game, as Colorado looks to continue its successful season.
Contact CU Independent staff writer Baylan Wysuph at baylan.wysuph@colorado.edu
