Targeting controversy takes over Penn State vs. Auburn

Targeting has yet again taken center stage in college football. Auburn linebacker Zakoby McClain was ejected from the remainder of Saturday night’s Penn State vs. Auburn game after he was called for targeting with about 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The linebacker was ejected for his hit on Penn State’s Parker Washington at the Auburn 1-yard line. Because McClain’s ejection occurred in the second half, he will miss the first half of Auburn’s game against Georgia State on Sept. 25, too.

Like so many times this season, the call has taken over the conversation on social media.

Targeting rules need to change if this is going to be called targeting pic.twitter.com/XiTAcyWpEX

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) September 19, 2021

McClain appeared to lead with his shoulder on the play, not his helmet.

“If a ball carrier is flipped in the air or something similar, he can be considered defenseless before he is clearly down,” veteran NFL referee Terry McAulay wrote on Twitter.

Former Florida State quarterback Danny Kanell weighed in on the call, too.

“Targeting is running college football,” he sent out on Twitter.

Penn State went on to score a few players later, taking a 28-20 lead. The targeting call gave the Nittany Lions a fresh set of downs inside the red zone.

“That was an awful targeting call,” College GameDay analyst Desmond Howard said.

Targeting in college football this season

The NCAA has drawn criticism this season for the number and nature of targeting calls. In the opening weekend of the season, Ole Miss vs. Louisville combined to have four players ejected in the first half for targeting.

“Reality is, targeting would get changed tomorrow if the suits weren’t afraid of litigation and appearance of backtracking on safety,” FOX personality Joel Klatt tweeted at the time. “However, if they were actually concerned with safety wouldn’t they adopt NFL game clock rules to lower volume of total snaps?”

“The problem with targeting?” Klatt went on to say. “It is officiated wildly inconsistent and yet carries the most punitive consequences! Must be addressed! We need to only eject in egregious and malicious occurrences. Targeting 1 (15 yards), Targeting 2 (15 yards & ejection).”

In the weeks after, a USC kicker was ejected on the opening play of the game for targeting on a kickoff. And Penn State coach James Franklin added his opinion on the influx of the ejections, too.

“It’s a challenging thing right now for our game,” Franklin said. “We’re going to have ongoing discussions.”