Here’s What An Illegal Helmet-To-Helmet Hit, Or At Least Targeting, Looks Like

Most of you probably aren’t college football referees but there’s a pretty good chance all of you could do a better job than the refs in last night’s game. We can spend hours discussing this call or that call, the fumble-that-was-ruled-a-fumble-but-then-magically-wasn’t-after-the-review, but this particular post is devoted to the viscous hit on Gunner Kiel by a one Chauncey Lanier.

That’s a no-call in the eyes of the AAC refs, totally not an illegal crown-to-helmet hit or at least targeting in the slightest. In real time, maybe you give them a break but when the play’s slowed down on replay, how in the hell do they miss this?

That’s the crown, or at the very least the side, of Chauncey Lanier’s helmet connecting with the side of Gunner Kiel’s. Need another look if the featured image above doesn’t work for you?

Helmet to Helmet hit on Gunner Kiel by Memphis defensive back Chauncey Lanier.

I just… how do the refs not see that? How do every single one of them, and especially the numb nuts Umpire standing 10 feet away, not immediately throw all of the yellow flags that they could possibly carry and then eject Lanier into the Mississippi River?

The initial call did go that way, though, which makes this all the more perplexing. When watched live, you can see the Referee threw his flag. Then the refs huddled together to determine that it was a 15-yard penalty and Lanier was to be giving the boot. But after the replay, presumably the same speed and angle above, they completely reversed it.

HUH?!

Ok, let’s play devil’s advocate for a second. Let’s assume it’s too close of a play for even the sharpest of refs to see, replay or not, and they can’t determine if it’s a helmet-to-helmet hit. It’s just your ol’ run of the mill hit to the head. Even so, the NCAA has a rule for that as well and it’s called targeting.

"Targeting and Initiating Contact to Head or Neck Area of a Defenseless Player  (Rule 9-1-4)No player shall target and initiate contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, forearm, fist, elbow or shoulder. When in question, it is a foul.  (Rule 2-27-14)KEY INDICATORSLeading with helmet, forearm, fist, hand or elbow to attack with contact at the head or neck area"

Firstly, Kiel is starting his slide, giving himself up, before Lanier comes in for the hit. Secondly, while the defensive back never leaves his feet, the one sensible thing he actually does in this whole mess, he does explicitly what the rules claims he’s not allowed to do “initiate contact to the head or neck of a defenseless opponent”. So you can see why the Referee threw his flag and all of them initially kicked Lanier out of the game, the penalty for both targeting and a helmet-to-helmet hit.

But why then was the 15-yard penalty flag picked up? The refs might not rule Lanier hit Kiel with the crown of his helmet but his actions fit the targeting definition to a tee. It really doesn’t make much sense and one of the major problems many of us had with the officiating last night.