Tag: Targeting

Ryan Day lost it on officials over a controversial targeting call against Ohio State (and he might be right)

Ryan Day’s frustration with his late Ohio State targeting call might be justified.

Targeting controversies in college football are seemingly ever-present, and the latest controversy came Saturday during the Ohio State-Nebraska game in Columbus.

The No. 4 Buckeyes narrowly escaped an upset attempt from the Cornhuskers with a 21-17 win, but a late fourth-quarter targeting call on Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese marred the game. Reese tackled Nebraska wide receiver Jahmal Banks on first-and-22 from the Cornhuskers’ 12-yard line with less than four minutes left, and referees called targeting on the field.

The play was reviewed and ultimately confirmed targeting, which meant Reese was ejected from the game and, because the targeting penalty was in the second half of the game, will have to sit out the first half of Ohio State’s game against Penn State next Saturday.

NCAA TARGETING RULE: How college football defines targeting and related ejections

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It was a questionable call with an already controversial targeting rule that sometimes confounds officials, teams and fans alike. Reese’s hit on Banks was hard enough to be heard on the TV broadcast, but that doesn’t automatically make it targeting.

Obviously, Ohio State coach Ryan Day was livid over it, and he threw a mild tantrum on the field in response, giving the refs an earful. And the thing is, on this play, the targeting in question is so unclear that Day might be right to flip out.

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Look, if you’re going to throw your headset, actually throw your headset and have a proper tantrum. But regardless, Day’s frustration might be justified.

The small bright side for the Buckeyes is they picked off Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola to end the Cornhuskers’ drive and upset attempt.

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Alabama will be without an impact starter during first half against Wisconsin

Alabama will be without an impact starter during first half against Wisconsin

Those tuned into Wisconsin’s 27-13 win over South Dakota saw Badgers senior linebacker Jake Chaney get ejected for targeting. The ruling, coming in the second half, means he will also miss the first half of the team’s upcoming battle with No. 4 Alabama.

The decision is a big blow to Wisconsin’s chances against the Crimson Tide. Chaney is by far the Badgers’ best inside linebacker. He emerged toward the end of the 2023 season, finishing with 80 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks. Next up will be USC transfer Tackett Curtis, who performed well in limited action during the team’s Week 2 win.

Related: Updated game-by-game predictions for Wisconsin after Week 2 win over South Dakota

That is on the Wisconsin side. Those who spent their Saturday night watching Alabama struggle to pull away from South Florida saw the Crimson Tide suffer a similar fate.

Impact linebacker Justin Jefferson, the team’s third leading tackler, was also ejected for targeting. His penalty carries the same implication as Chaney’s, as he’ll miss the first half of Saturday’s game.

Jefferson recorded 12 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack during the Crimson Tide’s 2-0 start to the season. He is listed as a backup on the team’s depth chart, but he is starting to emerge as one of its more impactful second-level defenders.

Wisconsin and Alabama will take the field in Madison at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on Saturday. We will then wait until the second half to see Chaney and Jefferson enter the game.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. 

College football’s targeting and related ejection rules in 2023-24, explained

Confused about college football’s targeting rules? We’re here to help.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you livid over a college football targeting call or don’t quite understand the penalty? If so, we’re here to help.

It’s no secret that one of college football’s most controversial rules — maybe THE most controversial rule — is targeting, which, if called, results in the ejection of the player who committed the foul.

Some fans hate the rule entirely, some want adjustments made to the rule and others simply just don’t understand what exactly targeting is in college football.

There are essentially two variations of targeting: one that focuses on the crown of a player’s helmet and one that focuses on a defenseless player. We’ll break down both.

As the NCAA continues regularly updating its rulebook, keeping track of what is targeting and the details of that penalty can be challenging. That’s OK because we’re simplifying it and breaking it all down.

College football’s targeting and related ejection rules in 2022-23, explained

Breaking down the NCAA’s targeting rules and the latest updates to them.

One of college football’s most controversial rules is targeting. Some people dislike it entirely, some want adjustments made to the rule and some don’t quite understand what it is.

While targeting certainly plays a role for teams during the regular season, we’ve seen it have an impact on the College Football Playoff games as well. One of the biggest examples recently was when Clemson star linebacker James Skalski was ejected for targeting in two consecutive College Football Playoff appearances.

There are essentially two variations of targeting: one that focuses on the crown of a player’s helmet and one that focuses on a defenseless player. We’ll break down both.

And as the NCAA continues regularly updating its rulebook, keeping track of what is targeting and the details of that penalty can be challenging. That’s OK because we’re simplifying it and breaking it all down.

BYU is a benefactor of terrible NCAA rule against Notre Dame

Not very fair

The Irish will be without linebacker [autotag]JD Bertrand[/autotag] for the first two quarters against BYU this weekend. The Cougars also had a player, defensive back [autotag]Gabe Jeudy-Lally[/autotag], get ejected during the second half of their last game against Utah State.

However, the decision by the NCAA for each player is much different. As for the Notre Dame starting linebacker, Bertrand’s appeal did not go well, and his appeal was denied. Jeudy-Lally had his appeal approved, and he will suit up for the entirety of the game against the Irish. The NCAA made a change to its targeting rule during the offseason, but its process is still very much judgmental.

Could it be the NCAA ruled against Bertrand due to his “repeat” offense? When you watch the hit, he keeps his head up, and he isn’t making “forcible contact that goes beyond making a legal tackle” according to the rule.

You be the judge. In your estimation was this hit by Bertrand outside the rules? This is undoubtedly a 15-yard penalty, but an ejection and half suspension? I think not.

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Ali Gaye reaches out to Jordan Travis following targeting penalty

Travis thanked Gaye for apologizing after Sunday’s game.

During the third quarter of Monday night’s game against Florida State, [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag] was ejected from the game when he was flagged for targeting.

Targeting has been a hot topic in all of college football for the past few years with questions of ‘What is targeting?’ ‘Should the player be kicked out of the game?’ ‘Is a suspension for the rest of that game and part of the next game a just ruling?’

When it comes to the hit Gaye made on Travis, there was no question whether or not it was targeting. After the game, he apparently reached out to Travis to apologize.

Between Gaye getting ejected and [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] getting injured in the first drive of the game, the defensive line for LSU is in a rough spot.

Luckily, the Tigers play against Southern on Saturday night so Brian Kelly has some time to get the defensive line ironed out before LSU enters SEC play in a few weeks.

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First questionable targeting call of the 2022 college football season already has fans annoyed

Oh targeting, how we haven’t missed you.

College football is back and, unfortunately, so is targeting.

On Thursday, the Penn State Nittany Lions were visiting the Purdue Boilermakers in a Week 1 Big Ten matchup. With the Nittany Lions up 7-3 and the Boilermakers with the ball midway through the second quarter, linebacker Abdul Carter checked in for his first ever play.

On a dropped ball, Carter attempted to possibly recover a fumble before the whistle blew, tackling Tyrone Tracy with a shoulder to shoulder hit. The play was reviewed by officials, who ejected Carter for targeting, ending his night early. While a close call, Carter initiates point of contact at the shoulder with his shoulder, with the play only looking awkward because Tracy was attempting to recover the ball.

That is… definitely not targeting. And college football fans knew it too, immediately taking to social media to vent their frustrations and annoyance at the ticky-tacky call.

USC’s KICKER was ejected for targeting on the first play of the game

Yes, you read that right, the kicker.

College football has seen a lot of targeting calls over the years, but nothing comes close to this.

The start of USC versus Stanford seemed about what you’d expect from a PAC-12 game. Kicker Parker Lewis lined up for the opening kickoff and away we went on Saturday evening.

Except, bizarrely, Lewis was ejected for targeting on the play after helping make the tackle on the Stanford runner. Yes, that’s right, USC’s starting kicker was ejected six seconds into the game for targeting on an opposing player, meaning the Trojans were without their kicker for the rest of the game.

It’s absolutely a surreal scene, made even better by Lewis’ dumbfounded expression on the sideline upon learning he was ejected.

Given the… controversial nature of the targeting rule, I will make no judgements here as to whether this was within the spirit of the rule. Lewis does make contact with the runner with the crown of his helmet, however, which is the main reason why he was ejected here.

Still, of all people, the referees eject the KICKER from a game? Can’t say we’ve seen that before.

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College football’s targeting problem continues to be a very big problem

Something needs to change here.

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A wildly long weekend of college football action came to an end Monday night when an explosive Ole Miss team blew out Louisville, 43-24, in Atlanta.

While Ole Miss’ win was impressive, a lot of people will be taking away something else from this game – the fact that college football’s targeting rule is still a total a mess.

Four players were ejected in the first half for targeting calls that mostly seemed like football players making football moves. We almost saw a double-targeting call on what was a very dangerous hit by two Louisville defenders on Rebels quarterback Matt Corral. That double hit was definitely a lot more malicious than the others and deserved the swift ejection that came with the flag.

Many people on social media went crazy over most of the calls, and rightfully so – the punishment seems to be really darn harsh for what can often be a bang-bang play where there isn’t any intent by the defender to hit his opponent with the crown of his helmet.

This rule was put into place for the right reasons – to protect the health and safety of these college athletes. Nobody is arguing about making sure these players stay safe and healthy.

But the penalty does usually seem a bit harsh.

Joel Klatt, Fox Sports’ lead college football analyst, was one of many tweeting about the rule Monday night and his suggestion seems to make sense – 15 yards for your first targeting penalty, then an ejection if you get called for a second. Also, if your first targeting hit is really bad then you get tossed for that one. That all seems to make sense to me.

Former ESPN star Mike Golic offered pretty much the same suggestion as Klatt.

I’m all for player safety. We all are. But these plays need to be looked at in different ways, much like the NBA handles its flagrant fouls – one very strict punishment shouldn’t cover all of them.

There needs to be a little more leeway for the referees to make a decision to not throw a kid out of the game for something that wasn’t meant to be malicious.

Something needs to change.

Quick hits: Yankees’ top prospected tossed after home run… Michael Irvin’s very lively ‘First Take’ debut… Astros fans rightfully rip ump… And more. 

– Anthony Volpe, theYankees No. 1 prospect, got ejected from a minor league game as he crossed home plate after hitting a home run, which is something you don’t see every day.

– Michael Irvin made his debut on ESPN’s yelling show ‘First Take’ on Monday and people had lots of jokes about how much yelling he did.

– Astros fans crushed umpire Joe West after his brutal strike call ended a 9th-inning rally in San Diego on Sunday.

– This little kid’s reaction to his mom getting him a foul ball at a Padres game was so awesome.

– You need to see this incredible heads up play that Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman made over the weekend. Could be the play of the year.

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College football nearly had its first double targeting call on this dangerous dual Louisville tackle

Should this have been double targeting?

College football has seen some outrageous and downright brutal targeting calls over the years, but the one thing we’ve never seen is two targeting calls on the same play.

On Monday, we almost got to see our first double targeting call in the second quarter of the Louisville and Ole Miss game after this punishing hit. With Rebels quarterback Matt Corral on the run after picking up yardage on fourth down, he was taken down by two Cardinals players while in the middle of his slide.

Thankfully, Corral was okay after getting hit in the head by two players — and ran for a touchdown a few plays later, too — but it was still quite a dangerous play nonetheless.

After the officials came together to review the play, only one of the two players — Monty Montgomery — was ejected for the hit.

College football fans, however, believed this brutal hit should have been given the rare double targeting call after all was said and done.