In the midst of a rivalry game in Provo during the first week of September, BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum, desperate to gain yards, scrambled through the middle of the field before sliding and giving himself up.
Adrenaline-fueled Utah senior linebacker Sunia Tauteoli closed in and didn’t put the brakes on fast enough. Tauteoli dropped his head and made contact with Mangum as he slid, causing the crowd at LaVell Edwards Stadium to erupt in outrage.
Mangum, his helmet having come off, looked at officials, arms outstretched imploring them to throw a penalty flag. The officials obliged, and Tauteoli became the first Utes player ejected for “targeting” this season. He was not the last. The Utes have incurred five targeting penalties this season, a trend that is a source of frustration among players and coaches.
“From the player’s perspective, I feel like there’s some targeting calls that shouldn’t be targeting,” Tauteoli said. “The guy gets right back up. It’s just a good football hit. A lot of the players feel the same way too.”
According to the Associated Press, through the first three weeks of the season, Football Bowl Subdivision saw an increase of 73 percent in the number of targeting penalties compared to the same point last season.
On multiple occasions Utah’s coach Kyle Whittingham has expressed frustration with the enforcement of the targeting rules. In an instance of exasperation after having two players ejected on one drive in a loss to Arizona State, Whittingham admitted he was at a loss for how to instruct players.
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott discusses the controversies surrounding the targeting rule in college football. pic.twitter.com/LcTRx4ccc7
— SL Tribune Sports (@sltribsports) November 4, 2017
This past weekend, Utes tight end Jake Jackson sat out the first half against UCLA due to a targeting penalty he received for a block down field against Oregon. That marked the second consecutive week the Utes had at least one player sit out the first half of game due to a targeting ejection.
“We’re constantly looking for clarity on that,” Whittingham said. “From my vantage point when I review the film, it’s tough to tell. We thought he did everything right, bringing the shoulder into the chest, but apparently the head of the guy that we were blocking snapped down and got involved.
“Really, it’s still a point of frustration. I think maybe in the future you’ll see things defined a little bit more clearly. Until then, I’m really kind of finished commenting on targeting because it’s such a frustrating issue. We’re doing our best to try and comply.”
No. 19 Washington State at Utah<br>When • Saturday, 3:30 p.m.<br>TV • Pac-12 Network
The NCAA implemented the current targeting rules in 2008. Players cannot make forcible contact with the crown of the helmet or forcible contact to the head or neck area of defenseless player. Video replay officials can initiate a review to determine if a targeting penalty is warranted as can the on-field officials. A player ejected in the first half of a game must sit the rest of that game. A player ejected in the second half must sit the rest of that game and the first half of the next game.
When asked last week if he thought there was a clear understanding of what constitutes targeting, Washington State coach Mike Leach replied, “No. I don’t think there is among officiating either. I think it’s a horrible rule. They need to get rid of it. I think it’s something that has good intentions. I think there’s good intentions behind it, but it’s hard to judge, hard to fairly enforce. I think it’s very difficult.
“You’ve got two people running down field. One is going to button up to not get hit, and the other one is already on a path and not necessarily trying to lead with their helmet or hit a guy high, but the guy shrinks down and gets hit. I mean, I think it’s a bad rule.”
Leach added that with the rule in place, he believes there have been too many instances of what by the letter of the rule book should be targeting that aren’t called as well as too many instances that are called when he feels it shouldn’t be called.
“There’s way too much guess work with it,” Leach said.
UCLA coach Jim Mora, who saw four of his players ejected within the first five games this season, also expressed frustration with the players being ejected for what he views as clean hard hits. He believes an acceptable middle ground exists between the rule’s current enforcement and the ideal.
“We have a responsibility towards player safety and that has to be paramount, but we also have a responsibility towards the integrity of what this game is — which is a physical sport,” Mora said. “I think we have to balance those two, and I think we can balance those two with some minor tweaks to the targeting rule.
“I would always say that we err on the side of protecting the player. I just feel like that penalty for a non-flagrant targeting — a simply helmet-to-helmet tackle on a sideline when a runner is dipping his shoulder — needs to be adjusted.”
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said during his visit to Salt Lake City last weekend that the targeting rule has been reviewed carefully every year. He added that at a recent meetings with other conference commissioners and the national head of officiating there was a sense that the rule has had a “positive impact” and is making the game safer.
Tauteoli claims that since the BYU game he has focused more on keeping his head up on tackles to avoid another ejection, but he also thinks the rule leaves defenders more vulnerable.
“I feel like it protects more the offensive guy than the defensive guy,” Tauteoli said. “The defensive guy slows down for the guy, then he’s the one getting hit. They’re going as fast as us. We should speed up. They shouldn’t slow us down. I feel like that’s part of the game of football. They come in knowing that they possibly can get hurt. It’s a violent sport. That’s just me personally. I feel like it takes a little bit of fun defenders have.”
UTAH TARGETING EJECTIONS<br>Sep. 9 at BYU: Sunia Tauteoli, linebacker, first half<br>Sep. 22 at Arizona: Marquise Blair, safety, second half<br>Oct. 21 vs ASU: Donovan Thompson, linebacker, and Corrion Ballard, safety, both second half<br>Oct. 28 at Oregon: Jake Jackson, tight end, second half