Nearly 48 hours after Texas’ exhilarating 39-31 victory over Arizona State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, the controversy continues: Was a targeting penalty missed late in the fourth quarter?
Sports analysts, former coaches, and fans have all shared their opinions. Stripping away the biases of Texas and Arizona State supporters, the general consensus is clear: targeting should have been called.
ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt declared, “That’s targeting a hundred times out of a hundred.” Similarly, Outkick’s Clay Travis remarked, “I have watched every college football game that matters — and tons that don’t — throughout the entire targeting era. How is this not targeting? Legit would love to hear this explained. It’s textbook.”
But what does a rules expert have to say about the controversial call?
Gene Steratore Settles Targeting Debate
Gene Steratore, a former NFL and college basketball official and current rules analyst for CBS Sports, shared his perspective on the matter via social media.
And he left no room for debate.
“My phone has been burning up all morning,” Steratore wrote on X. “Yes, this should have been a flag for targeting in Texas vs. Arizona State. It meets all of the criteria for targeting (Rule 9-1-4).”
The non-call was significant because it had the potential to change the game’s outcome.
With the Peach Bowl tied at 24-24 and just over a minute left in the fourth quarter, Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt completed a 10-yard pass to Melquan Stovall over the middle. Stovall was immediately met with a helmet-to-helmet hit from Texas safety Michael Taaffe. The impact left Stovall on the ground, unable to get up for several minutes.
Despite the severity of the collision, no flag was thrown on the field. The play was reviewed for targeting, but officials ruled it was not a foul. As a result, Arizona State faced 4th-and-5 at their own 48-yard line with 1:03 remaining. Had targeting been correctly called, Arizona State would have received a 1st-and-10 at the Texas 37-yard line, and Taaffe would have been ejected from the game.
While there was no guarantee Arizona State would have won, the Sun Devils deserved the chance to manage the final 1:03. With the ball in their hands, they could have set up a potential game-winning field goal or leaned on running back Cam Skattebo, who dominated the second half and earned Peach Bowl Offensive MVP honors, to break a decisive run.
Following the game, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark called for a review of the targeting play and the rule itself.
“As a member of the College Football Playoff management committee, I have had multiple discussions seeking clarity surrounding the targeting call on Arizona State’s final drive of the 4th quarter with Richard Clark,” Yormark stated, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger. “Moving forward, we need to address CFP officiating to ensure national standards are developed. These standards will be crucial to the CFP’s future, and I look forward to discussing them with my fellow committee members when we meet next.”
