Michigan will be playing the Huskers this Saturday, sans Sherrone Moore to guide them. The HC is going through his self-imposed ban from coaching the Wolverines for 2 games, as part of his punishment for the sign-stealing scandal. In these circumstances, the very root of the controversy shocks crowds as an impromptu guest on a popular show. Connor Stalions was welcomed with a lot of pomp from the hosts at a special event at Lincoln on Thursday. Yep, you can read that again. But fans were quick to put him in his place.

Connor Stalions is the reason why rival fans easily slap the label of ‘cheater’ on Michigan today. Bussin’ With The Boys hosts Will Compton and Taylor Lewan decided to stoke the fire by welcoming Stalions at an event at Lincoln. He shocked everyone by popping up in the audience, walking up to the stage. Though Compton and Lewan were trying to navigate this surprising moment to their best, the crowd was less than impressed. The minute things became clear, Stalions was welcomed with a lot of boos.

The show crew threw T-shirts to fans, and amped up the energy with loud cheers of “Go Big Red.” Fans sure are buzzing for the big game. But they did not want to see Connor Stalions take the stage on their fun night. After all, Nebraska fans have a personal beef with Stalions. The Omaha World-Herald reported that Stalions had purchased tickets to 5 Nebraska games throughout 2021 and 2022. Michigan ended up thrashing the Huskers from 2021 to 2023. Their last meetup was the most brutal for the latter party as Michigan wreaked havoc with 45 points, limiting Nebraska to only 7.

This is the first time the Wolverines have faced Nebraska after the scandal. Naturally, fans are not going to give Connor Stalions a warm welcome, that too in their own home. Michigan begins conference play against Nebraska and is entering as the favorite to win the game. But Michigan is also 2-1 in the season so far, while Nebraska is unbeaten with 3 wins. A charged environment will await the Wolverines at The Sea of the Red. Matt Rhule himself had a harsh dig at Stalions ahead of the big night on Saturday.

Matt Rhule throws shade at Connor Stalions

The 2023 loss against the Wolverines can still hurt Husker fans. Matt Rhule lost star safety DeShon Singleton to a season-ending injury in that game. The coach even argued for Singleton to be given an extra year of eligibility, since Stalions was suspected to have an impact on the game. He even suspected that the Stalions’ sign-stealing might’ve inadvertently led to the injury in the first place. However, a year has gone by since that game. Rhule is optimistic about the upcoming clash, but he still had a strong message for Stalions’ antics.

“The (2023) game that didn’t affect us. I don’t know who did what, but the thing for me is never touch the competition part of this. Steal signals the legal way, and if there is something you can’t do, don’t do it,” he told Dave Portnoy, whom he hosted on his own Nebraska football podcast. Stalions, however, has no regret for his actions, claiming no one did sign-stealing as good as him. He continues to dish out takes on Michigan football like nothing happened.

Connor Stalions might never get back on the community’s good books after the sign-stealing scandal. But he still gets to share space in the media and remains unbothered by the constant slander that comes his way. Nebraska fans, however, are in no mood to entertain the visitor, as they hope for Matt Rhule to continue his unbeaten streak so far into the season.