Matt Campbell had a moment of great frustration during the Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando, Fla. on Wednesday night.
Campbell’s Iowa State Cyclones were trailing Clemson 13-3 in the third quarter. They had a 1st-and-10 at their 15 and got called for a false start penalty, which set off the Iowa State coach.
Campbell was irate on the sidelines. He was seen signaling to the officials and complaining about the Clemson band.
“The f—ing band!” Campbell was seen saying to the officials as he raised his hand to the band. “That’s f—ing bulls—,” he could be seen saying.
ESPN’s announcers later confirmed that Campbell’s issue was with the band.
“He was upset,” announcer Dave Pasch said of Campbell. “He thought the Clemson band was continuing to play during the cadence. Because they were backed up right in front of the band, that that was throwing off the offense.”
Campbell apparently thought the noise from the band was interfering with his players’ ability to hear the snap count. If that were the case, then Clemson’s band would have been responsible for a penalty.
The NCAA college football rulebook says “Persons subject to the rules, including bands, shall not create any noise that prohibits a team from hearing its signals (Rule 1-1-6).” Such an action is subject to a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Iowa State was already deep in their own territory before the penalty, which helps explain Campbell’s frustration. By his argument, Iowa State should have had the ball at their 30 instead of their 10. Two plays after the penalty, Clemson got a pick-six to make it 20-3.
The Tigers ended up winning the game 20-13.
College football has made a point of cracking down on things that could interfere with the offense’s signals. Campbell apparently wants the officials to start enforcing the band rule too.
