Bo Pelini lost it on Saturday. Big 12 officials called 16 penalties for 145 yards on Nebraska, compared to two for 10 yards on Texas A&M. Pelini berated them so extremely Nebraska publicly criticized him. He unleashed such a stream of profanities at Taylor Martinez it led to speculation the star would leave the program.  This wasn’t the first time.

Being upset was understandable. There has been speculation Big 12 officials would show an anti-Nebraska bias.  Texas A&M was not playing a noticeably cleaner game.  The penalties probably cost the Cornhuskers the 9-6 game. However, when a university pays you seven figures to represent them, the absolute minimum expectations are that you show decorum in public and not call a student under your charge a “motherf—er.”

Though his treatment was inappropriate, Martinez is not blameless. If the lip-reading is accurate, the quarterback called his Dad from the sidelines. He also skipped a team meeting (which may not have been mandatory), the source of the speculation about his future. His actions befit a normal, immature 20-year-old, but you can’t be normal and immature if you want to quarterback Nebraska.

Nebraska still controls its chance for a Big 12 Title and a Fiesta Bowl bid. To get there, the coach and the quarterback need to act like adults.