Game Thread: CFP SEMIFINAL: Clemson (13-0) vs Ohio State (13-0) 8pm ET ESPN

[Across The Field]

No, you're incorrect...he led with the crown of the helmet.

I'm all for changing the targeting rule...but this game was called according to the rules of the game as they are now...not how you want them to be.

But that's not what happened. If you're saying he "led with his helmet", then you must somehow believe that the human body can be contorted in a fashion where the shoulder pads somehow can be ahead of your helmet. If Lawrence doesn't duck down, Wade makes shoulder contact and his helmet doesn't make contact at all. It's a horrible penalty that has to be changed.

 

[michaeljordan_fan]

Here's the thing - it's impossible for your helmet to not be ahead of where your shoulders are when making a tackle. You can't just suddenly sink your head into your abdomen. It's simple anatomy - when you are trying to tackle someone, your head is naturally going to be ahead of your shoulder. It became "targeting" when Lawrence lowered his helmet to meet Wade's. This was nothing at all like other targets where the player was clearly trying to go helmet-to-helmet. It was incidental contact that should never be a penalty.

Don't dip the head.

You keep bringing up helmet to helmet. This wasn't called for helmet to helmet contact...it was called for leading with the crown of the helmet.

 

[Bayou Tiger]

It wasn't the helmet to helmet contact that got him ejected...it was leading with the crown of the helmet.

Go watch the replay retard. He was in motion and diving towords Trevor \'s body mass, not the head. The only reason Trevor was hit in the head is he ducked.


How is the defensive player responsible for him doing that at the last second?


You think the defender can stop in midair, change directions and avoid it?

It's a bullshit call. He certainly should not have been ejected for that.

 

[Across The Field]

They are never going to change the rule to make helmet first contact on a QB acceptable.

I've been at UW practices watching how they teach tackling technique. You have to lead with your shoulder. OSU fans can complain until the cows come home, but launching into a tackle with your head down and leading with it has the potential to end in a targeting call. It wasn't a bad call under the rule and was preventable, even if you believe Lawrence flinched and moved his head to protect himself.

Period.

He didn't launch.

 

[DeafOranguntan]

That was the key play of the game.

The real reason it was the key play of the game was that it pissed the Clemson players off. They didn't like some thug earholing Trevor with the crown of his helmet. Up until that point, Ohio State had dominated the offensive and defensive lines and had been far more physical. After that, Clemson completely took over.

As far as the penalty, I hate targeting calls in general. I think the rules are far too strict and its stupid to eject a player for something that could have been inadvertent (I don't think it was here since he lowered his head - as the announcers said - despite their favoring the Buckeyes). I'd say make it a personal foul, 15 yards and a first down, but if a player commits two personal fouls, they're out. But as the rules state, that was textbook targeting. Both teams had bad calls (Munford (I think that's who it is) held Xavier Thomas all night), but that wasn't one of them.

 

[michaeljordan_fan]

You sure are defending it a lot for someone who “doesn’t like it”

I haven't defended the rule once in this thread. All I have stated is that it was called accurately based on the rules of the game.

 

[michaeljordan_fan]

He didn't launch.

Not required to launch in order to be a penalty.

 

[Across The Field]

Don't dip the head.

You keep bringing up helmet to helmet. This wasn't called for helmet to helmet contact...it was called for leading with the crown of the helmet.

So you're saying if his head and shoulders went into Lawrence's mid-section there would've been targeting? Come on man. You know that's not true. It was 100% called because it ended up being incidental helmet-to-helmet contact, the official even said that.

 

[WizardHawk]

Yea you’d think someone would have some explaining to do for how he magically bypassed the very standard concussion protocol.

I was honestly shocked to see him back after one play and that no one on the broadcast team even brought it up. I would be asking about that as OSU staff. He looked bewildered on the ground. Closeup cameras made that clear. If you want to have rules to protect these kids they must be enforced or teams should suffer for bypassing it.

 

[Across The Field]

Not required to launch in order to be a penalty.

He said he launched, I was correcting him.

 

[dtgold88]

Take your homer blinders off and watch the play again, the DB spun him around in a circle, the receiver did not turn up field, he did not turn. The ball coming down to his knees and not his waist proves that he did not have control of the ball, if he had control the ball would have been tucked into his arm around his waist. Instead his arms stayed extended and dropped to his knees.

TD or not a TD if that play happens in the EZ?
A) TD
B) no TD

 

[We Are Decent]

Yes and your team isn't ever going so don't worry about it.

Wait hold up is a Sooner fan trash talking to me about not getting a ring in the CFP era

 

[Across The Field]

I was honestly shocked to see him back after one play and that no one on the broadcast team even brought it up. I would be asking about that as OSU staff. He looked bewildered on the ground. Closeup cameras made that clear. If you want to have rules to protect these kids they must be enforced or teams should suffer for bypassing it.

Bingo. His acting job is what sold the targeting call. If he had gotten right up, there's no chance they call it.

 

[michaeljordan_fan]

Go watch the replay retard. He was in motion and diving towords Trevor \'s body mass, not the head. The only reason Trevor was hit in the head is he ducked.


How is the defensive player responsible for him doing that at the last second?


You think the defender can stop in midair, change directions and avoid it?

It's a bullshit call. He certainly should not have been ejected for that.

Again...the fact that Trevor was hit in the head isn't what made this a penalty.

The tackler leading with the crown of the helmet is what drew the penalty. Hitting the body mass with the crown of the helmet is ALSO targeting.

 

[osubuckeye89]

Go watch the replay retard. He was in motion and diving towords Trevor \'s body mass, not the head. The only reason Trevor was hit in the head is he ducked.


How is the defensive player responsible for him doing that at the last second?


You think the defender can stop in midair, change directions and avoid it?

It's a bullshit call. He certainly should not have been ejected for that.

I think these targeting defenders do actually expect defenders to warp time and space to avoid the contact at the last second

 

[michaeljordan_fan]

So you're saying if his head and shoulders went into Lawrence's mid-section there would've been targeting? Come on man. You know that's not true. It was 100% called because it ended up being incidental helmet-to-helmet contact, the official even said that.

According to the rules, it would have been targeting. The official was pretty clear in the postgame comments why the foul was called:

"Referee Kevin Williamson stood behind the call, telling a pool reporter, "This was a crown-of-the-helmet targeting foul. Initial contact was with the crown of the helmet. Then he wrapped up for the tackle. So at that point, targeting was properly called."

Helmet to helmet is not mentioned.

 

[Across The Field]

Again...the fact that Trevor was hit in the head isn't what made this a penalty.

The tackler leading with the crown of the helmet is what drew the penalty. Hitting the body mass with the crown of the helmet is ALSO targeting.

You keep saying this but it's not true. The official even said so. And please show me a targeting call ever made where a player's helmet hit another players mid-section and targeting was called.

 

[michaeljordan_fan]

I think these targeting defenders do actually expect defenders to warp time and space to avoid the contact at the last second

The rule is dumb...but it is the rule, and referees don't get to decide which rules they like and which rules they don't.

 

[Across The Field]

I think these targeting defenders do actually expect defenders to warp time and space to avoid the contact at the last second

It's literally the only thing that could've been done to avoid the penalty. It goes against anatomy.

 

[michaeljordan_fan]

You keep saying this but it's not true. The official even said so. And please show me a targeting call ever made where a player's helmet hit another players mid-section and targeting was called.

I have provided the quotes from the official disproving this.