SYRACUSE, NY - NOVEMBER 19: Trey Marshall #20 of the Florida State Seminoles is walked to the locker room during the first half against the Syracuse Orange on November 19, 2016 at The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

FSU will be missing key part of defense in 2017 opener

That's disappointing.

The targeting rule has been one of the most inconsistently and horribly officiated calls in college football ever since it was created. No one can agree on certain hits being considered targeting while others are asking for it to be called on seemingly innocent hits.

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Florida State's Trey Marshall was the victim of one such penalty against Michigan in the Orange Bowl. Here's the hit that garnered a flag:

According to NCAA rules, any player who is ejected for targeting in the second half of a game will miss the first half of his next game. It's rare for that to happen in the last game of the season so it looks like now we know what the consequence is going into a player's next season:

 That's a huge loss as he's one of the better defenders in that secondary that's returning for next season. And obviously in a game against a team like Alabama, FSU will need every defender it can get its hands on.