Targeting or not targeting? That is the question.
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And according to the refs, that is apparently the answer in this case.
In Sunday's game against Texas, Notre Dame wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. took a hard hit in the endzone that resulted in him being removed from the game and placed in concussion protocol.
The hit garnered a lot of controversy about college football's targeting rule, and many people feel that this hit should have fallen under that rule based on what college officials have been calling in the past few years.
RELATED: One of the dirtiest targeting hits we've seen drew an obvious ejection
On Monday, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said that ACC officials told him that the call should have been targeting. In an interesting move, the Big 12 supervisor of officials said the Big 12 officials in the booth got it right by not reviewing the call.
From USA Today:
"The play was reviewed and replay did not feel the action warranted an egregious foul, which is the standard to be applied for replay involvement in targeting fouls that are not called on the field," Anderson said in a statement supplied to USA TODAY Sports from the Big 12.
Two teams, two conferences, and two different opinions? Who would have guessed!
Of all the hits, it's interesting that this one didn't even get a flag on the field; it was a pretty nasty hit up high, which is generally where officials have been more than willing to call the penalty.
It will be interesting if this play results in any review of the rule. It is supposed to be for player safety after all, and when a player gets a concussion on a controversial hit that doesn't draw the penalty, then what's the point?
