Rhule says there’s too much trash talk in college football

But when the Husker head coach dove into the action, he noticed a worrying trend. Too often, big plays would be followed by athletes turning toward their opponents with a taunt or piece of trash talk rather than simply celebrating with their teammates.

“I struggled a little bit with that this weekend watching college football,” Rhule said. “Every time a guy makes a play, it’s like he has to turn and tell the guy that he made a play. And trust me, I’m all for a little trash talk, but there’s a way to do it in a way that doesn’t disrespect the game and disrespect your opponent.”

Unsportsmanlike conduct penalties have also been in the spotlight after the NCAA sent a midseason memo to conferences and their officials reminding them to penalize gestures that simulated violence or using a weapon.

And it’s not just the reactions during the game that coaches have to worry about now — it’s also what happens afterward.

As Penn State players celebrated an overtime win over USC last week, one briefly planted the school’s “We Are” flag into the USC logo at midfield before head coach James Franklin personally intervened and removed the flag.

“Watching college football is hard now, it’s all trash talking and really excessive trash talk,” Rhule said. “You beat a team and you’re waving goodbye at them; Iowa did that to us last year and sometimes in rivalries I get it, but I don’t want to see our team do that.”

Nebraska has an opportunity to earn a Top 25 win over Indiana this week in a game that will be broadcast to a national audience, and Rhule is hopeful that the Huskers can handle their emotions better than some of the teams he watched over the weekend.

“I want us to respect the game and respect what it means to be a Nebraska Cornhusker,” Rhule said.