Matt Rhule 'really upset' with officiating in Illinois game

Despite a big victory over Illinois on Friday night, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule had a bone to pick with how the game was officiated.

After the game, Rhule noted his frustration with the referee crew, explaining that he thought Illinois was getting away with some illegal vocal activity when their defense was yelling out signals before the snap to try and confuse the Cornhusker offense.

“You know, I was really upset with the officials tonight,” said Rhule. “And I never talk about officiating, but I just want make sure I defend my team, you know. That team, for a second week in a row, that team came out and was yelling ‘move’ and ‘stem’ and you’re not supposed to be able to do that, as far as I know.”

As far as he knows and from what he’s heard from the Big Ten, such behavior shouldn’t have been allowed.

“I call the league they say ‘you can’t do that,'” Rhule added, clarifying that the pre-snap activity from the Illini was the cause for some offensive miscommunication.

“We’re not a sloppy team, OK? We’re not a sloppy team. That is not football to me,” the Nebraska coach emphasized.

“Our guys are just trying to play football. They’re yelling ‘move’ and ‘stem’ and the D-line is stemming. I’ve asked if it’s legal. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, I don’t know. But I just want to make sure I’m defending my guys.”

However, if the refs are going to allow the pre-snap antics, then Coach Rhule knows it’s on his guys to adjust and figure out a way to avoid letting it get to them.

“I’m not faulting Illinois for doing it. If they say you can do it, you can do it. But now, after about the third or fourth time, I was like… at what point are we going to figure it out, guys?”

Just one more time, though, Matt Rhule had to note that it was Illinois’ trickery, not his own guys’ lack of focus, that was cause for some of the pre-snap mistakes on Friday night.

“I just want to make sure I defend my guys. So I’m not criticizing the officials as much as I’m saying, you know, they they weren’t just jumping offsides, they were hearing the cadence and yelling ‘move’ and we’re jumping.”

There’s certainly some sour grapes from Coach Rhule towards the officiating in the Nebraska-Illinois game.