On the replay I didn't see where the SC player hit (Stewart?) in the head by leading w/ his helmet..
Looked like a legit midsection body shot to me.

Starting with the 2022 season, the rulebook's definition of "crown of the helmet" was updated to more precisely focus on the top of the helmet and is now defined as "the top segment of the helmet; namely, the circular area defined by a 6-inch radius from the apex (top) of the helmet."

If a player leads with the crown of his helmet, it's targeting whether or not the player is defenseless.


The guy went in blind with only using the top of his head

He's lucky to still be walking

Crown

Incompetence.

That is the kind of play that targeting is intended to prevent. That D player could have suffered a neck injury.

Logos Stick said:

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That is the kind of play that targeting is intended to prevent. That D player could have suffered a neck injury.

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Agree that leading w/ his head down is very dangerous.
So Targeting no longer just helmet to helmet contact?

That's one play that kids learn in pee wee football and goes all the way to pros they should not be doing.

It used to referred to as spearing back in the day.

TAMU74 said:

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Logos Stick said:

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That is the kind of play that targeting is intended to prevent. That D player could have suffered a neck injury.

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Agree that leading w/ his head down is very dangerous.
So Targeting no longer just helmet to helmet contact?

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There's multiple targeting rules

The targeting rule for player safety is not just for the offensive player's safety. This type of hit is flagged because it stands a high chance of doing damage to the player performing the hit. They're being flagged as a deterrent to prevent them from hurting themselves.

But kicking the kid out of the game for that is stupid. Give him a warning like the unsportsmanlike penalty and if he does it a second time in one game then he's out.

Crown of helmet to crown of peen. 15 yards.

Targeting has never meant helmet to helmet.

There are 2 kinds of targeting. The first is leading with the crown. It's always illegal to initiate forcible contact with the crown of the helmet. That's top of the head, can't see what you hit, can break your neck.

The second is hitting a defenseless player in the head or neck. For this one you need a defenseless player (receiver catching a pass, QB passing, kick recceiver, and a few other specific situations). A ball carrier is not defenselunless they're already on the ground or their momentum is already completely stopped. And you need someone initiating forcible contact to their head or neck.

Baacma02 said:

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But kicking the kid out of the game for that is stupid. Give him a warning like the unsportsmanlike penalty and if he does it a second time in one game then he's out.

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I don't disag, but the rules are clear. If you don't like what happened today, you need a rule change.

To be fair I think he was trying to use his shoulder but was being blocked simultaneously

Tough call but met criteria

TAMU74 said:

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Logos Stick said:

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That is the kind of play that targeting is intended to prevent. That D player could have suffered a neck injury.

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Agree that leading w/ his head down is very dangerous.
So Targeting no longer just helmet to helmet contact?

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Targeting was NEVER JUST helmet-to-helmet contact. I wish people would get that out of their heads. Even going back to 2009 when the rule was established. Not saying that h-t-h wasn't a possible form/example of targeting but that wasn't the rule. H-to-H happens on most plays, incidentally, and isn't targeting. Most of the time it isn't even noticed by the player.

One thing you should do is to quit listening to announcers about rules. Also, don't assume what is going on in the NFL is also the same in college. It isn't.