Watching the Clemson and Ohio State game. When did it become targeting to hit an opponent in the side with your helmet? College football is becoming unwatchable. The physicality is completely being taken out of the game.

I'm already not watching the cfp invitational games.

But...from just reading your description of it...remember when there used to be a penalty for spearing? If you lowered your helmet and speared the guy with the crown of your helmet, it was a 15 yard unecessary roughness spearing.
That now falls under the efinition of targeting - especially if you leave your feet to do it.

(01-01-2021 09:52 PM)slhNavy91 Wrote:  I'm already not watching the cfp invitational games.

But...from just reading your description of it...remember when there used to be a penalty for spearing? If you lowered your helmet and speared the guy with the crown of your helmet, it was a 15 yard unecessary roughness spearing.
That now falls under the efinition of targeting - especially if you leave your feet to do it.

From what I remember, spearing was when a player was on the ground and a defender came in with the crown of his helmet. In this instance, OSU quarterback Justin Fields was running down the field and got destroyed by the Clemson linebacker. It was like he hit a brick wall. It was one of the best hits I've seen in a long time and then the linebacker gets ejected because he led with the crown of his helmet into Fields' side when he was upright and running with a full head of steam.

There's been some weird targeting calls this season. Remember when the ucf wr got called for it? Honestly you could probably call it in every play if you wanted to

They don't call that if it hadn't been a hit on the Golden Boy Justin Fields

What Lurkercat says may be true as well.

But the main reason the lowering/leading with the crown is in the targeting definition is to protect the TACKLER from injury more than the tacklee.

Fields spun into the helmet. Should not have been targeting.

(01-01-2021 09:36 PM)memphistiger89 Wrote:  Watching the Clemson and Ohio State game. When did it become targeting to hit an opponent in the side with your helmet? College football is becoming unwatchable. The physicality is completely being taken out of the game.

You can't lead with the crown of your helmet to any part of the body. It's not just the head. From the NCAA Rule Book:

"Targeting and Making Forcible Contact With the Crown of the Helmet

ARTICLE 3. No player shall target and make forcible contact against an opponent with the crown of his helmet. This foul requires that there be at least one indicator of targeting (See Note 1 below). When in question, it is a foul. (Rule 9-6) (A.R. 9-1-3-I) .... Note 1 item 4: Lowering the head before attacking by initiating forcible contact with the crown of the helmet".

The Clemson player did that, so he got tossed.

As everybody who has ever played the game knows, football is a very very fast game. You get the runner down any way you can as quickly as you can. As long as it's not by the facemask or a horse-collar or head to head, it should be legal.

(01-02-2021 10:04 AM)vabearcat Wrote:  As everybody who has ever played the game knows, football is a very very fast game. You get the runner down any way you can as quickly as you can. As long as it's not by the facemask or a horse-collar or head to head, it should be legal.

Yep. Leading with the head. Lol. How else do you tackle someone. Lead with your asss?

(01-01-2021 09:36 PM)memphistiger89 Wrote:  Watching the Clemson and Ohio State game. When did it become targeting to hit an opponent in the side with your helmet? College football is becoming unwatchable. The physicality is completely being taken out of the game.

That would’ve gotten called in the 70s. That’s old school spearing. IMO spearing to the body should just be 15 yards.

(01-01-2021 09:52 PM)slhNavy91 Wrote:  I'm already not watching the cfp invitational games.

But...from just reading your description of it...remember when there used to be a penalty for spearing? If you lowered your helmet and speared the guy with the crown of your helmet, it was a 15 yard unecessary roughness spearing.
That now falls under the definition of targeting - especially if you leave your feet to do it.

Preventing injuries, and thereby minimizing the risk of expensive lawsuits is - self-evidently - in the direct interests of the NCAA and of organized sports more generally.

Athletic events don't need to include episodes of overt brutality or acts of violence that are capable of inflicting permanent neurological or musculoskeletal damage or disability in order to be entertaining.

(01-02-2021 10:49 AM)shere khan Wrote:  

(01-02-2021 10:04 AM)vabearcat Wrote:  As everybody who has ever played the game knows, football is a very very fast game. You get the runner down any way you can as quickly as you can. As long as it's not by the facemask or a horse-collar or head to head, it should be legal.

Yep. Leading with the head. Lol. How else do you tackle someone. Lead with your asss?

Look up and lead with your chest driving through the ball carrier the way everyone is taught. Go for the text book tackling and you will never be called for targeting, it only happens when you try to blowup the play with your shoulders or lower your head.

See the man, drive your chest through him and wrap your arms.

(01-02-2021 03:30 PM)spenser Wrote:  

(01-02-2021 10:49 AM)shere khan Wrote:  

(01-02-2021 10:04 AM)vabearcat Wrote:  As everybody who has ever played the game knows, football is a very very fast game. You get the runner down any way you can as quickly as you can. As long as it's not by the facemask or a horse-collar or head to head, it should be legal.

Yep. Leading with the head. Lol. How else do you tackle someone. Lead with your asss?

Look up and lead with your chest driving through the ball carrier the way everyone is taught. Go for the text book tackling and you will never be called for targeting, it only happens when you try to blowup the play with your shoulders or lower your head.

See the man, drive your chest through him and wrap your arms.

I find the defense of what the Clemson LB did mystifying. He led with his helmet in the most egregious and obvious way, which the rule says you can't do.

And penalizing this is NOT new. In the old days, this was called "spearing" and would draw 15 yards too.

I am all for a penalty, but I think tossing a guy out of a game is stupid (unless it is severely egregious).

It’s just as much to protect the tackler as it is to protect the person being tackled. If you look at the LB’s neck when that tackle is made, it could easily result in a spinal injury much like the one that Tulane saw a few years ago. No reason to play around with these kinds of hits. They’re dangerous for both players.

(01-03-2021 12:03 PM)invisiblehand Wrote:  It’s just as much to protect the tackler as it is to protect the person being tackled. If you look at the LB’s neck when that tackle is made, it could easily result in a spinal injury much like the one that Tulane saw a few years ago. No reason to play around with these kinds of hits. They’re dangerous for both players.

Agreed. I was more worried about the Linebacker than Fields on that play. That's the kind of hit that gets you paralyzed, like Shazier from the Steelers.

(01-01-2021 09:36 PM)memphistiger89 Wrote:  Watching the Clemson and Ohio State game. When did it become targeting to hit an opponent in the side with your helmet? College football is becoming unwatchable. The physicality is completely being taken out of the game.

Who cares, I'll watch it as soon as an AAC team is in it!

(01-01-2021 09:36 PM)memphistiger89 Wrote:  Watching the Clemson and Ohio State game. When did it become targeting to hit an opponent in the side with your helmet? College football is becoming unwatchable. The physicality is completely being taken out of the game.

I immediately thought when that occurred during the game "Well ........... the fix is in"; & sure enough it was.

(01-02-2021 03:30 PM)spenser Wrote:  

(01-02-2021 10:49 AM)shere khan Wrote:  

(01-02-2021 10:04 AM)vabearcat Wrote:  As everybody who has ever played the game knows, football is a very very fast game. You get the runner down any way you can as quickly as you can. As long as it's not by the facemask or a horse-collar or head to head, it should be legal.

Yep. Leading with the head. Lol. How else do you tackle someone. Lead with your asss?

Look up and lead with your chest driving through the ball carrier the way everyone is taught. Go for the text book tackling and you will never be called for targeting, it only happens when you try to blowup the play with your shoulders or lower your head.

See the man, drive your chest through him and wrap your arms.

So lead with your head assuming your face is on your head. Lol

I get your point but if the runner goes low it's almost impossible to use that technique without some crown contact. That play it grazed off his head and shoulder. I get the rule but it's more for show than go, imo.

I've never seen a running back flagged for lowering his head. It's a bullshite rule.

Wanna end it. No helmets.