A series of incidents in BYU's 27-14 win over Texas Tech last Saturday that have become labeled as "spit-gate 2023" by Tech coach Joey McGuire broadened in scope on Thursday as more video of the alleged unsportsmanlike behavior emerged.
Red Raiders tight end Jayden York was kicked out of the game for spitting on BYU defensive end Tyler Batty after Texas Tech kicked a PAT after its first touchdown. In the postgame news conference, Batty said a second Tech player, whom he identified as "No. 76" (right tackle Caleb Rogers ), spit on him as well immediately after the game ended.
On Wednesday, McGuire told reporters in Lubbock that York and Rogers denied any wrongdoing.
"Spitgate 2023," McGuire said. "So, two things. Jayden York said he did not do it. I have seen every video, TV copy. I would ask y'all to go back and review the TV copy and see. … If I spit in your face, there would be a reaction. And the reaction is you either wipe it off, or you hit me in the mouth.
"So go back and watch the TV copy and see what everybody believes. Just watch the TV copy," McGuire concludes.
Thursday morning, after video of McGuire's comments were posted on X, BYU defensive back Eddie Heckard posted that York also spit on him after the two got tangled up during the play in which Tech fumbled a handoff exchange on fourth down inside the BYU 10-yard line.
"He spit on me early in the game. It's on film too!" Heckard wrote on X in a reply to video of McGuire defending his players and suggesting that Batty 's account in a postgame news conference wasn't accurate.
In the video Heckard was referring to, York appears to remove his mouthpiece and spit in Heckard's direction as Heckard flinches backwards.
"It is nothing against officials, it is nothing against 92 (Batty's number), it is nothing against Jayden York. They slow it down. Go watch the TV copy and see just as a logical human being the conclusions that you draw," McGuire said.
When asked in BYU's postgame news conference about the incident after the PAT that resulted in York's ejection, Batty said he had just "pancaked" a Tech offensive lineman and was getting up when the spitting occurred.
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"This dude just comes out of nowhere, starts saying all sorts of stuff, and then spits in my face," Batty said, making a spitting sound. "And then actually, to end the game as well, their right tackle, 76, did the same thing. After Josh Singh made that tackle, just yeah, came up, and I was like, 'Hey man, good game,' and he was 'beep, beep, beep.' They were pretty upset throughout the game. You know, we will take advantage of that."
It isn't the first time in the last calendar year that a Texas Tech player has been accused of spitting on an opponent.
Last December, after Texas Tech beat Ole Miss 42-25 in the Texas Bowl, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin alleged that a Tech player spit on one of his players after a turnover and was not penalized for the action.
