Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald received an unsportsmanlike conduct reason for some reason against Iowa on Saturday night.

Fitzgerald was clearly frustrated with a call that didn’t go his team’s way and seemed to just cover his face while leaning down. That alone drew the flag as it looked like he didn’t say anything to the ref to provoke him.

Of course, it’s possible Fitzgerald dropped a “magic word” or did something else that was not caught on camera. But if this reaction alone was a penalty, it is a bit of a head-scratcher.

Northwestern went on to lose a close 17-12 contest to Iowa, but this was still a bizarre moment. Usually, a coach will get that penalty for throwing something or mouthing off to an official, but neither of those happened there. Perhaps the officials thought Fitzgerald cursed under his breath?

Whatever the case, the Wildcats made it a game towards the end of the 4th quarter but turned it over as they were looking to score the go-ahead touchdown. Andrew Marty threw his 3rd interception of the game, which sealed the victory for Iowa.

We’ll have to wait to see what Fitzgerald says about this during his media presser.