Cornhuskers HC Matt Rhule was miffed when Illinois defender Kaleb Patterson went down with an injury in the red zone, forcing an immediate timeout. The Cornhuskers were on 2nd and 1 in the red zone, ready to carry the momentum forward and score a Touchdown after falling behind.
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However, Patterson’s scare gave the Illinois defense a much-needed respite, allowing them to come up with a game plan to stop the drive and figure out what Dylan Raiola would do.
The shady tactics didn’t go down well with Rhule and the sold-out crowd inside Memorial Stadium.
Fans booed the decision for the timeout, while the Cornhuskers HC looked animated on the sidelines. He went on the pitch to raise his concerns, complaining to referees about the timeout.
This is something that many college teams do to get a breather, forcing the other team to come up with a different plan.
Nebraska fans and Matt Rhule weren’t fans of Illinois’ tactics here pic.twitter.com/MjwYEVIxKm
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 21, 2024
Fans quickly took to social media to share their thoughts on the matter. One user noted that the game’s rules allow these situations and argued that people should blame the rules, not the players who take advantage of them.
Don’t hate the player, hate the game.
If that helps the D get a stop, then who cares if the other side is upset.
— Riggs Tamburo (@RiggsSportsTalk) September 21, 2024
Many criticized Illinois for their questionable tactics, claiming the team has been notorious for this behavior over the past few years:
Illinois notorious for doing that been happening for the last few years under big Bert
— Jeff Gambino (@Husker_AustinTX) September 21, 2024
Some even went as far as to say that Illinois doesn’t deserve to play at Memorial Stadium, accusing the team of lacking respect for their opponents:
The biggest problem I see in this game so far is that Illinois came into Lincoln with no respect for their opponent.
The spiritual garbage that is @IlliniFootball isn’t worthy of the prestige of Memorial Stadium & its classy Nebraska fans, regardless of the game’s final result.
— BillyBoy (@ShalashMuh) September 21, 2024
The Huskers did score on that particular drive but could only muster a field goal. However, they’ve still dominated the proceedings, going up 17-10, with Raiola throwing for 185 yards and 2 TDs.
He did, however, throw an unfortunate pick which allowed Illinois to score a field goal.
