In Nebraska’s loss to Michigan State on Saturday, center Mark Pelini had issues several times snapping the ball before his quarterback was ready.

On the Big Ten Teleconference on Tuesday, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini said the Husker center was distracted by Michigan State’s defense clapping — the same prompt that Nebraska’s quarterback uses to signal that he is ready for the snap.

“There were a couple times when the opposing team clapped and our center heard a clap, so he snapped the football,” Bo Pelini said. “That’s something I’ll talk to the league office about.”

It is a penalty for defenses to simulate a snap or snap count prior to the start of a play. Pelini said Nebraska will look at ways going forward to ensure there isn’t confusion.

“You can’t do anything intentionally that is to simulate a snap count,” Pelini said. “It didn’t happen a lot, but it happened a few times. Michigan State isn’t the first team to do that. You would hope (officials) would catch that.”

Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio said that clapping is one way that the Spartans defense aligns its defensive linemen, and suggested that Nebraska’s center should have been looking at his quarterback.

“We’re moving our people,” Dantonio said. “From my perspective, we can move our people however we want to.”