Pocket knife hits Kansas staff member at Texas Tech football game, coach says

Texas Tech officials all but confirmed Kansas head coach Lance Leipold’s claim that a pocket knife was thrown toward the Jayhawks’ sideline on Saturday.

The Lubbock school has had a long-standing tradition of fans throwing tortillas onto the field, which officials voted 15-1 to ban. However, the ruling has not stopped fans, and one apparently took it too far.

“A pocket knife was thrown, and it hit one of our staff members. I mean, it’s ridiculous,” Leipold said after KU’s 42-17 loss to the Red Raiders. “I mean, it’s supposed to be for safety and things like that, and it’s a culture that’s been accepted to a point, and it hasn’t changed. And eventually, somebody’s going to be seriously hurt, unfortunately.”

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Texas Tech fans throw tortillas prior to a Big 12 Conference football game, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.  (Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Officials later said a pocket knife was found on the Jayhawks’ sideline.

Leipold also said that Big 12 officials handled the object-throwing “poorly,” considering it is no longer allowed.

Leipold was animated in his postgame handshake with Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire, calling the actions “bulls—.”

Head coach Joey McGuire of the Texas Tech Red Raiders and head coach Lance Leipold of the Kansas Jayhawks talk at midfield after the game at Jones AT&T Stadium on Oct. 11, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas.   (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

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“Coach, I can’t do anything about that. You want me to do something f—ing about it?” McGuire asked.

“It’s frustrating. I’m frustrated. I know he’s frustrated. We’ve got a new rule in this league. We know the rule. We didn’t follow it, and we got penalized for it… We gotta be better. We gotta do a better job, and we will,” McGuire said. The Red Raiders were given two 15-yard penalties for fan behavior.

The knife was given to Texas Tech, which turned it over to the Texas Tech Police Department. The school is also reviewing game day video.

Members of the Texas Tech Red Raiders student body during the first half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Jones AT&T Stadium.  (Michael C. Johnson/Imagn Images)

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The Red Raiders are ranked seventh in the AP poll and have a date at Arizona State this weekend to improve to 7-0.

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