Iowa State Coach Matt Campbell Calls Timeout Just To Yell At Referees, Proceeds To Lose His Mind Over Absurd Penalties
Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell was not happy with the officiating on Saturday. And that's an understatement.
The 42-year-old, who has been in Ames since 2015, made sure that his voice was heard. To do so, Campbell called a timeout in the first half just so he could yell at the referee.
Throughout the first half of the Big-12 matchup versus Baylor, the Cyclones had more than double the amount of penalties called against them compared to their opponents. Many of them were very debatable.
There was targeting called in the first quarter, but it looked like a routine tackle.
And then the one that really set Campbell off came midway through the second quarter. Iowa State was called for an illegal block... on defense.
In an effort to protect players, the NCAA increased its emphasis on going low. Whether it be on offense, defense or special teams, a penalty will be called for chop blocks in space.
On Saturday, the Bears offense ran ball off tackle on 3rd-and-7 and were stopped short of the first down after the running back tripped over his own lineman. It likely would have led Baylor to punt or attempt a long field goal. However, a questionable call on a Cyclones defensive back resulted in a 15-yard penalty and a fresh set of downs.
As soon as the penalty flag came out of the official's pocket, Campbell was irate. And then, when play was set to continue, he called a timeout. Not to give his team a breather, not to talk strategy.
Campbell called a timeout so that he could make sure he let the officiating crew know what a terrible job he thought that they were doing. And boy did he.
Matt Campbell's Goes on Tirade
Throughout the blow-up, Campbell went through all seven stages of grief.
Here is how it went down:
The play, which seems like it shouldn't have been a penalty, would have given the ball back to Iowa State. Instead, Baylor scored a touchdown on the drive.
I am all for protecting the players, but the illegal block call was ticky-tack, at best.
Campbell was right and the fans felt similarly as the penalty flags continued to fly.
Taking a timeout just to yell at the zebras does not happen often. But it was well-deserved on Saturday!