Top LSU Defensive Player Forced to Sit Out Against Alabama
Junior linebacker, Devin White, is banned from participating in the first half of one of the biggest games of the season against Alabama, after being ejected from last night’s 19-3 win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs due to targeting call made against him.
The Official NCAA Rulebook defines targeting as when a player, “takes aim at an opponent for purposes of attacking with forcible contact that goes beyond making a legal tackle or a legal block or playing the ball.”
Many LSU fans do not agree with the ruling on the field and determined the new targeting rule that is designed to limit dangerous hits in college football to be vague and unclear.
LSU fan Alexis Fennidy said, “The rule is so stupid and controversial. That’s why its such a big thing. He’s their best player and has to sit out of the game for basically nothing.”
After the game, the SEC released a formal statement to justify the call on the play.
The statement says, “By rule, no player shall target and make forcible contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent. The QB on the play was defenseless at the time of the contact. By rule, all targeting calls are reviewed. The call was reviewed and confirmed."
The No. 4 ranked Tigers are set to take on No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide in Death Valley on November 3.