Deion Sanders’ Colorado may have had a bigger problem than their offense during Saturday’s 29-7 loss to No. 12 Texas Tech. A reported discovery at the team hotel has now taken the defeat in an unexpected direction, after social media users compared an alleged Colorado playbook with the plays the Buffaloes ran during the game.
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“Update: It was real. 1st six plays of the first half and 1st two of the second half (then picked off),” Jody, host of The History of West Texas podcast, posted on X after comparing the document with broadcast footage.
The claim has fueled questions about how Colorado’s game plan ended up in the hands of Texas Tech fans before kickoff.
The story began with a post on the On3 Texas Tech message board from a fan using the name VivaTerlingua. It claimed that a group of Red Raiders fans had found a roughly 25-page document at Colorado’s team hotel.
According to the post, the material included opening plays, red-zone information, and notes about Texas Tech’s tendencies. The discovery was already unusual enough, but the subsequent comparison with Colorado’s actual play calls made the story more interesting.
The most striking part of the reported playbook comparison involved Joseph Williams’ interception early in the second half. One of the alleged play calls was labeled “JOJO PASS EXIT.”
On the second play after halftime, Colorado tried a trick play, and Williams threw a pass, which Texas Tech’s Brice Pollock picked off. The Buffaloes were up 7-3 at that point and had scored on their first drive, holding Texas Tech scoreless in the second quarter. The trick play was a chance to build on that lead. Instead, it gave Texas Tech the ball back.
Now, Jody claimed that Colorado’s first six plays of the first half and first two plays of the second half matched the alleged document, and he posted a clip as evidence. So it’s up to fans to form their perceptions.
But there is no evidence that the Red Raiders’ coaching staff ever received the material, saw it before the game, or used it to prepare their defense. Colorado has also not publicly confirmed whether the viral pages were authentic or explained how the document reached the fans.
Former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz reacted to the alleged discovery on X, calling it “WILD.” The reaction reflected the obvious concern surrounding a team potentially losing control of information intended to remain within its own program.
For Colorado, the timing could hardly have been worse because head coach Sanders had already made a key change at quarterback for the Texas Tech game, benching Julian “JuJu” Lewis in favor of Isaac Wilson.
Colorado needed that decision to work out, especially against an unbeaten team ranked No. 12. It didn’t, and the loss raised fresh questions about how prepared the offense was.
If a playbook with the right calls really did get out, that’s a fair question for Colorado about how it protected its game plan. But it wouldn’t prove Texas Tech used it, and it wouldn’t tell us how the pages got out.
Colorado’s problems in this game showed up with or without the leak because Wilson went 26 of 44 for 290 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw three interceptions. Add Williams’ pick on the trick play, and Texas Tech had four interceptions, plus they turned Colorado’s turnovers into 19 points.
Colorado actually outgained Texas Tech 375 to 315, but it never scored after its first drive. The run game gave it almost nothing, with 76 yards on 32 carries. The Buffaloes also missed two field goals, had a fake punt fail, and were flagged eight times for 84 yards.
Texas Tech took advantage of every gift. Late in the third quarter, Will Hammond hit Terrance Carter Jr. with an 11-yard touchdown pass to make it 12-7. The Red Raiders then scored 17 more in the fourth quarter and won 29-7.
The defeat dropped Colorado to 2-3 overall, extending its losing streak to three games. Across these three games, the Buffaloes have been outscored 93-27, which obviously does not look good from any angle. However, it would be too early to decide that the season is lost.
What comes next for Colorado after a Bizarre loss
Deion Sanders has already identified quarterback play as the team’s “one glaring problem” and said Colorado would hold an open quarterback competition during its bye week. Issac Wilson’s performance against Texas Tech will therefore carry weight as the coaching staff evaluates its options.
The alleged playbook discovery piles up to an already difficult weekend for Coach Prime. If the document was authentic, Colorado will have questions to answer about how its game plan was handled.
For now, the key detail remains unconfirmed, and there is no established evidence that Texas Tech’s coaches obtained or used the alleged playbook.
Colorado returns on October 17 against No. 13 Utah, and Sanders will have to prepare his team for that challenge while dealing with questions that now extend beyond the scoreboard.