Nebraska pulled away from Akron with a dominant second quarter last Saturday, but Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule said his team wasn't respected by the visiting Zips.
After it scored 21 points in an eight-minute flurry just before halftime, Nebraska seemed to be suffocating Akron's offense and fine-tuning an offense that had been disjointed a week earlier in a loss to Cincinnati.
Akron got its final possession of the opening half with less than 50 ticks on the clock, and in a video from the Huskers locker room, Rhule said the fact that the guests from Ohio didn't simply kneel the ball and get to halftime displayed an utter lack of respect.
"Maybe I just have a different standard. I don't like them moving the freaking ball at the end of the half," Rhule shouted to his players in what appeared to be a professionally recorded video that bleeped out foul language. "We're on the sideline (saying), 'They'll take a knee here. They'll run the ball.'
"They don't fear you, they don't respect you enough yet. And if that sounds like coachspeak, then you have the wrong brain. They're dropping back against our starting defense. They're cutting our O-line at the end of the half."
Akron had just 58 yards' offense in the first half on 27 total plays; it finished the game with 175 yards but failed to score on its lone red-zone trip, the possession prior to halftime that ended with a missed field goal.
"I told you I don't care what the score is. I told you I care what the tape looks like," Rhule screamed. "Did I trip on the ball and fumble? No. I don't care what happens in the game. I want to see what the next play is. You have one half. Defense, you have one half. If they drop back and try to throw it and that quarterback's not on the ground, I want new guys in there rushing. I want them hit. I want them not to say our name again. ... They had the balls to cut you. Offense, you guys get the ball, you put it down and score.
"I told you shutouts are precious. We almost gave up our (effing) shutout. I want them freaking ... I don't want them to ever say our name again. That's the killer instinct I asked about."
Nebraska's shutout marked the program's first in 16 years -- since a bowl win against Arizona -- and also featured the program's most points scored in 13 years.
"We don't work hard enough to go take what you want?," Rhule asked. "Go take what you want."