University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman expressed disappointment Sunday in the sideline behavior of Husker head football coach Bo Pelini during Saturday night’s 9-6 loss to Texas A&M.
“I think it was very unfortunate,” Perlman told the Associated Press, “and I think it’s something we’ll have to address with Bo.”
Perlman passed on his concerns Sunday morning to Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne. He told the AP that he, Osborne or both would talk to Pelini about it.
“Obviously I thought it was relevant or I wouldn’t have said what I said,” Perlman told the Journal Star.
Nebraska was penalized 16 times for 145 yards during Saturday’s loss, a startling stat that seemed the result of some undisciplined football by the Huskers and shoddy officiating.
Certainly bad calls — including a dubious roughing-the-passer penalty on Courtney Osborne in the game’s deciding minutes — were a hot-button topic around the state on Sunday.
Conspiracy theories were flying fast about how the Big 12 is trying to hold down Nebraska on its way out the door to the Big Ten.
And while there were voices of criticism about Pelini’s sideline decorum, there was also plenty of support from those who felt the coach was just standing up for his team in the midst of what many Husker fans perceived as an unfair situation.
Different opinions for different folks, but there’s no debating the refs heard often from a testy Pelini Saturday night. And the ABC television cameras didn’t fail to capture many of those moments.
Among the more notable moments came in the second quarter when a heated Pelini got face-to-face with his redshirt freshman quarterback, Taylor Martinez.
After the game, Pelini declined to go into any detail about the situation.
Cameras also followed Pelini as he tried to seek out referee Greg Burks as the game concluded. The reason was clear.
Nebraska received 16 flags. A&M received two.
“You guys can make your own deductions,” Pelini said of the officiating. “All you have to do is look at the numbers.”
And while the officiating left plenty to be desired, Perlman was firm in his opinion on the head coach’s sideline manner.
“Bo has a lot of passion for his football team, and there is a strong upside to that,” Perlman told the AP. “But again, overall, the conduct was unfortunate last night.”
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