Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Michelle R. Martinelli

The bonkers TCU-Michigan playoff game ended with a questionable targeting no-call

At no point during the College Football Playoff semifinal game between No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 TCU was the officiating exceptional. It wasn’t even good and included a questionably overturned Wolverines touchdown, followed by a fumble on the one-yard line.

That overturned touchdown probably stings a little extra for Michigan, which ultimately lost, 51-45, while the Horned Frogs advanced to the national championship game.

Officiating aside, it was an incredible game and the kind fans want out of playoff matchups. An instant classic. In the third quarter alone, the two teams combined for 44 total points, which is a record for a College Football Playoff quarter, per ESPN’s broadcast.

But this fantastic game ended in the dumbest and most unfortunate way.

Some of the ridiculousness was the result of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s extremely suspect clock management at the end. But a lot of it came back to officiating.

Michigan tight end Colston Loveland caught the final pass of the game, but as he was already being tackled, TCU cornerback Kee’yon Stewart went in for another tackle that really resembled targeting.

Officials reviewed the play and decided it was not targeting, but it looked an awful lot like the literal definition of it. What’s more, had it been a targeting call, Michigan would have been able to keep its last-second efforts alive.

Inexplicably, though, it wasn’t deemed targeting, and the officials’ no-call left college football Twitter outraged and questioning them and the rules.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.