Fitzgerald targeting

[bsquared24]

Anyone got a still fram of the tarfeting on fitzgerald? looks like he was hit in the facemask at the time but would like to shut up some LSU people

 

[WutheringDawg]

Haven’t gone back to look because I’m not into torture porn, but it definitely looked like the contact with the Man in the Mirror was more in the chest area.

 

[WrapItDog]

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I thought it was a terrible call. What is the defender supposed to do?

 

[kired]

There was nothing questionable about that call. By rule Nick was a defenseless player, and the linebacker forcibly hit him high. Thats targeting in college football whether people like it or not. Has nothing to do with helmet to helmet. LSU is only pissed because their best player has to miss the first half of Bama game. If it was a backup LB and they played Northwestern St next week you wouldn’t hear anyone say anything.

 

[57stratdawg]

Looked like a bad call to me..

[TWEET]1053828704772784128[/TWEET]

 

[JoMo MoJo]

Tell your LSU people that Devin White being ejected won’t have any impact on Bama because all LSU could muster is one TD against us. Unless Devin White can score points that won’t cost them the game.

 

[Dawgzilla]

It doesn't look like a bad hit, but I think it meets the definition of targeting under the rule. (Note: A QB who has completed the act of passing is considered a defenseless player)

Targeting and Making Forcible Contact to Head or Neck Area of a Defenseless Player (Rule 9-1-4)

• No player shall target and make forcible contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulder. This foul requires that there be at least one indicator of targeting. When in question, it is a foul.

 

[HuskyBDawg]

I think it was a bad call too. Maybe you could throw a flag for roughing the passer, but even that seems like overkill.

 

[WrapItDog]

all LSU could muster is one TD against us

That was an impressive 3 play 3 yd TD drive**

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

Looks like a bad call to me. I would be pissed if it was called on us. It looks like he just pushed him in the chest.

 

[JoMo MoJo]

Wasn’t it 2 yds?

 

[TBone.sixpack]

Bama is gonna work em. They will be back to the bipolar fan base they are after Saturday. 17 LSU.

 

[The Usual Suspect]

LSU fans did not seem too upset about the phantom interference call on us.

 

[PBRME]

LSU fans did not seem too upset about the phantom interference call on us.

Or the phantom Sweat face mask.

Also that’s targeting. Can’t go in high on a qb like that or it will be called every time.

 

[Drewbowski]

You mean the facemask where Sweat grabbed the opening of the helmet and immediately held his hand up like he was saying, "on me"?

 

[cowbell88]

Normally, 45 yards worth of penalties on one play would give an opposing offense a spark, to at least get into field goal range. Normal and our offense are evidently like oil and water.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Except on replay he never grabbed anything on the helmet.

 

[bulldognation]

It was a mercy call.

 

[SyonaraStanz]

What drew the flag was Nick's head going sideways after contact. It's the right call.

 

[johnson86-1]

I think it was a bad call too. Maybe you could throw a flag for roughing the passer, but even that seems like overkill.

You want referees to just downgrade penalties in their discretion?

It seems ridiculous that that hit gets you a suspension, but that's not a bad call, it's a bad rule. Not sure how to fix the rule.

 

[sayit]

The ESPN view it looks questionable, the view on the jumbotron at the game last night clearly showed facemask to facemask and clearly targeting. Someone at the game tell me I'm wrong.

 

[HuskyBDawg]

You want referees to just downgrade penalties in their discretion?

It seems ridiculous that that hit gets you a suspension, but that's not a bad call, it's a bad rule. Not sure how to fix the rule.

I definitely don't want referees to downgrade penalties at their discretion.

From the video in this thread, it looks as though White made contact with Fitz's upper body and that Fitz turned his head on his own. White doesn't appear to be using his head to make the attack. Also, I wouldn't regard Fitz as being a defenseless player, since the ball was released just an instant before contact, which was unavoidable on White's part. White might have deflected the direction of his momentum, but it still would have carried him into a collision with Fitz even if he had tried to stop.

I don't have a problem with suspensions for targeting; the challenge is truly identifying it when it happens. Extreme cases are obvious. This play wasn't one of those, though.

Nonetheless, I'm operating off of my view of the video and the photo. The refs have live angles from which to judge.

 

[RocketDawg]

I think it was a bad call too. Maybe you could throw a flag for roughing the passer, but even that seems like overkill.

That's what I thought the call would be, if anything, in real time. As I recall, the announcers "analyzed" it while the officials were reviewing, and decided it wasn't targeting. I didn't think it was either.

 

[West Tn Dawg]

I don't know how hard the hit actually was, but Fitz was standing there when the Ref was making the call like he didn't have a clue what was going on. Blank look on his face. Looked like his cage was rattled for sure.

 

[West Tn Dawg]

What???

 

[BossDawg78]

What State fan in their right mind would give a 17 about whether or not this was a right call? 17 LSU and all their 'coon inbred asses. You think LSU fans would be dissecting the "facemask" on Sweat? Even if they lost? I hope LSU fans have to suffer mercilessly over infinite calls just like this in the future.

Yes, I'm still pissed about last night. Where's the Tylenol?

 

[HuskyBDawg]

What State fan in their right mind would give a 17 about whether or not this was a right call? 17 LSU and all their 'coon inbred asses. You think LSU fans would be dissecting the "facemask" on Sweat? Even if they lost? I hope LSU fans have to suffer mercilessly over infinite calls just like this in the future.

Yes, I'm still pissed about last night. Where's the Tylenol?

We're not taking up a collection for a corndog basket, just trying to understand how the targeting rule is applied. It's a big deal to have a player ejected for the remainder of a game or half of the next one.

 

[HamSammich]

You’re an idiot. Even the announcers said it was a clean tackle

 

[Maroonthirteen]

The ESPN view it looks questionable, the view on the jumbotron at the game last night clearly showed facemask to facemask and clearly targeting. Someone at the game tell me I'm wrong.

Yeah I thought it was clearly targeting from the replay on their video screens. Helmet to Fitz face mask was the intial contact.

I thought it was funny that many of the LSU fans were so upset after the game, they couldn’t enjoy the win.

 

[JoMo MoJo]

LSU did everything to give us the game. It is not LSU’s fault we lost bayou shouldndirect your anger towards our coaching staff.

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

It was targeting by rule, but if I were an LSU fan I would use this as my number one excuse after Bama whips that coonass 49-15.

 

[Apoplectic_Objurgator]

it was high - it was targeting. the morons in the nfl have learned to pull up on borderline qb hits since it started costing them money - maybe ncaa should try same approach

 

[Taz_Man]

https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/1053680367977213952

My Ole Miss buddy had a melt down after this one was determined not to be targeting.