In one of the more controversial calls of the college football season so far, Mississippi State safety Shawn Preston was ejected from Saturday's game against the LSU Tigers for a targeting penalty.
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During the second half of the SEC conference game, Preston tracked down a scrambling LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and delivered a punishing blow downfield. Instead of celebrating a big hit, Preston was instead hit with a targeting call, forcing him to be ejected from the remainder of the game.
Shawn Preston was ejected for targeting on this HUGE hit on Jayden Daniels
Did they get the call right?
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 16, 2023
While the hit did look like it was leading with Preston's helmet, it didn't seem as if the Bulldogs safety was trying to deliver forceful contact with his head, and instead just made a big play as LSU's quarterback ran into him. Regardless, Preston was still ejected on the controversial call.
To make matters worse, Preston will now miss the first half of next week's game against the South Carolina Gamecocks. This is because Preston's targeting ejection came in the second half of this week's game, a controversial rule that forces him to miss part of next game as well.
While he's never been a star player for the Bulldogs, Preston has plenty of college playing experience dating back to 2018. His absence will be felt for Mississippi State in next week's first half.
The Bulldogs were shut down by LSU on Saturday, falling 41-14 to the Tigers. However, Bulldogs fans will still be frustrated with the penalty called on Preston that will force him to miss time beyond just this week's game.
