Nebraska coach still sour over Michigan loss: Just want ‘game to be fair’
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule looks at the scoreboard during an NCAA college football game against Illinois Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, in Champaign, Ill.
During his Oct. 23 news conference, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said he didn’t want to comment on the NCAA investigation into the Michigan program over an alleged sign-stealing scheme because he “didn’t know anything.”
Rhule shared more pointed comments Monday about the ongoing probe, which is centered around Connor Stalions, a recently-resigned analytics assistant for the Wolverines who is accused of purchasing tickets to more than 30 college football games and transferring those tickets to friends or associates in an effort to obtain video surveillance of opposing teams’ sidelines and signals.
Big Ten coaches and athletic directors reportedly spoke with commissioner Tony Petitti last week, urging him to take action against Michigan.
“What’s the Husker prayer? ‘Dear Lord, the battles as we go through life, we ask for a chance that’s fair,’” said Rhule, who’s Cornhuskers lost to Michigan 45-7 at home Sept. 30. “That’s all I want. I want the 60 minutes of the game to be fair and not tilted one way or the other.”
“I want to do things right so our players learn the difference between right and wrong, even in competitive equity. I think it’s a shame when people say, ‘Well, would it have mattered?’ It happened, whether it affected (the score) or not. None of that matters to me. I just feel bad for our guys as they look at me, like, ‘Hey, coach, what are you doing about this?’ So I do feel like I need to say something on their behalf.”
Nebraska has had several close calls on the field not go its way this season, including in Saturday’s 20-17 loss to Michigan State that dropped the team to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the conference.
MSU receiver Montorie Foster caught a 25-yard touchdown pass in the fourth that proved to be the game-winner. The ball appeared to move upon contact with the ground, prompting FOX rules analyst Dean Blandino to say on the broadcast that the play should have been reversed to incomplete.
In a 13-10 Week 1 loss to Minnesota, Nebraska running back Gabe Ervin was ruled short of the goal line in a pivotal call in the game. The Cornhuskers threw an interception on the next play.
“I feel bad for our players,” Rhule said. “We’re sitting at 5-4. We own 5-4. But we have one game where the team scouted us (Michigan). We have two games where the replay was wrong. That’s tough to swallow.”
Rhule was pressed for more comments on the Michigan sign-stealing saga later in his news conference. The Wolverines are 9-0 and have played two games since the investigation was made public.
They beat Purdue and first-year head coach Ryan Walters 41-13 Saturday.
“I’m just saying, for our guys, I gotta sit up in the front of the room and they’re watching ESPN, and they’re watching people talk, they’re watching Ryan Walters speak some facts as they’re getting ready, and they’re like, ‘What do you think coach?’
“My No. 1 job is to advocate for these guys and push these guys to be great. I do want to say that this is kind of, I don’t know the right words, kind of crappy, right? It’s also good for our guys to learn, like ‘Hey, you know what, no one cares, no one feels sorry for us.’ Those plays happen in this game last week, and you know what, they didn’t change the score and the other thing happened and it is what it is. We just gotta control what we can control.”
Latest on NCAA’s investigation:
Fired Michigan assistant speaks out, disputes reason for dismissal
Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz: Michigan’s sign stealing ‘hardly a concern,’ could have been avoided
Michigan vows to edit suspended Jim Harbaugh into 1,000th win photo
Report: Booster ‘Uncle T’ helped fund Michigan’s sign-stealing scheme
Michigan football fires assistant coach Chris Partridge
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