Rare flag: Charlotte's head coach was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty vs. Illinois
College football officials — actually officials in nearly every sport — have been making news this season. But the officials calling the Illinois game against Charlotte on Saturday weren’t hesitant to take control and hit Charlotte head coach Will Healy with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
This is a new one 😬
Charlotte's head coach was penalized on 3rd and long for unsportsmanlike conduct on the team's second sideline warning of the day.
Any Get-Back Coaches out there? 😂 pic.twitter.com/shd3PSijCU
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 2, 2021
After getting their first sideline warning during the Illini’s first offensive drive of the game, Healy was tagged for a penalty for crossing the white line that divides the sidelines from the field.
The penalty was costly, moving the Illinois offense half the distance to the goal after the 3rd-and-long play that originally had gone out of bounds on the Charlotte 20-yard line. Luckily for Healy, the Illini weren’t able to capitalize and the score remained 7-3 after an Illini touchdown was nulled by a holding call and the drive ended after a subsequent Illinois fumble.
Coach Healy could really use a “get-back” guy, grabbing him from behind when the emotions get out of hand.