Rewatching the play it really feels like the defender intentionally injured Moss. Yes, guys are taught to hit low, but he put his helmet right into the knee. He was basically out of bounds at that point as well. It may not have changed the outcome of the game, but it sucks knowing that Moss will not return this year.

It wasn't dirty per se, but it was a shoulder to the lower body...he could have stayed high, wrapped up, and driven Moss out of bounds, but that's not the approach the defender took

WhataMaroon88 said:

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These types of injuries are a dime a dozen with the targeting rules. You can't call it dirty when the refs are forcing you to go low these days.

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This

You should never ever go high on a big back especially if you're a DB! That's how we constantly miss tackles and how you get your DB's killed. Have you never played football? Moss sought out that hit instead of trying to avoid it and unfortunately paid a huge price.

That is a classic tackle that happens all the time. Moss was still in bounds, lowered his body to get more yards.

For op, what should a defender do to limit yards?

1. Assume he is going to step out of bounds
2. Try to wrap him up from waist up
3. Take his legs out?
4 push him so he may step out of bounds?

It's so obvious which of you never played football past Jr high

I think his presence might well have made the game much more competitive, at least. It was both a physical and moral blow to the team. He was pretty much putting us on his back over the last few games, even though he couldn't totally do that and had to play through other team problems. He did have a couple of key drops/fumbles or poor situational awareness of the 1st down line. So he still has a nice ceiling.

He wanted to truck that safety. In the old days he would have lowered his helmet and blown him up. One thing Elko's coaching has brought forth is more physicality and even ferocity from the guys you already knew were really good but wanted to push it. Is Turner manifesting that to some degree and getting too wound up and losing his cool (the personal foul on the QB was NOT a bad play by him). All this is pure speculation but was Lev also doing that in the play that injured him?

I don't understand how you can watch todays game, and every hindrance they have put in place for defenders, and then call a guy dirty when he goes low on a runner who is trying his best to trick-stick him and humiliate him and put him in the dirt.

Not to mention that at full speed your tackling accuracy is fairly low, he wasn't aiming for his knee specifically- he was aiming for whichever half of moss's body wasn't going to get himself killed

Yeah that dude wasn't looking where he was hitting at all. He's lucky he didn't really mess up his neck.

Thought he could've stepped out of bounds there.

WTF do you want the defender to do? He's got Moss coming straight at him with a full head of steam. He literally did about the only thing he could.

Wasn't "dirty" but the defender was definitely trying to hurt him. Not like end his season hurt but like send a message or set the tone kind of hurt which is common for his position

This!!!

T-Shizzle said:

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Thought he could've stepped out of bounds there.

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This. The risk reward wasn't there. He wasn't going to stay up after that shot either way, so at best you're getting another yard or two tops, if that

FB rules favors the offense and sometimes I have no idea what a defensive player is supposed to do.

You literally have to take a QB down above his thigh, below his neck without landing on him or throw him to the ground. You literally have to be a ballerina sometimes to get a sack.

When a WR catches the ball, you literally have to make sure he is not defenseless before you hit him again nothing above the neck of knee down.

Now a RB who has 30 lbs over a CB is running at full speed and what is a lighter CB to do?

Fquin said:

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You should never ever go high on a big back especially if you're a DB! That's how we constantly miss tackles and how you get your DB's killed. Have you never played football? Moss sought out that hit instead of trying to avoid it and unfortunately paid a huge price.

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I wish you would have told that to our defenders Saturday afternoon.

Fellas, when you are way past the first down sticks in the first quarter of a game just step out of bounds. Live to play another down.

Dank said:

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It wasn't dirty per se, but it was a shoulder to the lower body...he could have stayed high, wrapped up, and driven Moss out of bounds, but that's not the approach the defender took

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Seriously, we've gone from praising 'the hit' to saying that the other team should just kindly ask our players to fall down instead. THIS IS FOOTBALL!

South Carolina comes to Kyle Field the last game of 2025. Get the payback then.

Poor decision by Moss; either go OOB or plant the left leg, letting the DB fly past, and follow your blocker. The non-move is reminiscent of Keith Ford against Tennessee in 2016. No injury, but Ford was stopped cold when just a juke would have given him a huge run.

Where do you see that? I know sec opponents are same, but don't see dates yet for conference game as of now.

zgolfz85 said:

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T-Shizzle said:

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Thought he could've stepped out of bounds there.

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This. The risk reward wasn't there. He wasn't going to stay up after that shot either way, so at best you're getting another yard or two tops, if that

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Yep

Thought that too when I first watched it

Was better off stepping out of bounds there, but he's a physical player so he likes to punish tacklers so tgey will be hesitant to hit him later in the game

Rodney Thomas was a lot like that

TMartin said:

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South Carolina comes to Kyle Field the last game of 2025. Get the payback then.

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What in the world are you talking about?

I never played or coached football but at least I know what a Pick 6 is.