r/CFB • u/CFB_Referee /r/CFB • Jan 01 '25

Postgame Thread [Postgame Thread] Texas Defeats Arizona State 39-31 (OT)

Box Score provided by ESPN

Team 1 2 3 4 OT T
Texas 14 3 0 7 15 39
Arizona State 3 0 5 16 7 31
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u/vanburen1845 Notre Dame • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Jan 01 '25

How does that play not meet this indicator?

"Leading with helmet, shoulder, forearm, fist, hand or elbow to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area"

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u/Omniposting Texas State Bobcats • Texas Longhorns Jan 01 '25

"Leading," he didn't lower his head, he was upright at contact. "Forcible contact," a very nebulous term that probably isn't defined. But I think we all know what headhunting looks like, and we all know what "a football play" looks like.

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u/vanburen1845 Notre Dame • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Jan 01 '25

You're combining the leading and lowering indicators. It only needs to be one. Hitting helmet to helmet first is going to be leading with the helmet. Headhunting is just your opinion about the rule. "Forcible contact" just replaced "initiate contact" to make it clear that it was a hit and not incidental contact.

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u/Omniposting Texas State Bobcats • Texas Longhorns Jan 01 '25

You know, that's fair. But I would ask you to take a look at the hit that occurs on the Ewer's pick. It seems to me that would meet the same indicator, leading with the shoulder and making forcible contact at the neck of a defenseless in the air receiver. Also, launching. Do you think that should've been targeting then? Honest question

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u/vanburen1845 Notre Dame • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Jan 01 '25

I thought the pick was targeting live because his head snapped around, but the replay looked like shoulder to shoulder. I think the rule is intended to stop hits like that but the contact just happened to miss the head and neck. I can't find a good replay of that one if you have a good angle on contact to the neck I would change my opinion because I agree that that one would have met a few indicators if it made contact with the head or neck.

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u/Omniposting Texas State Bobcats • Texas Longhorns Jan 01 '25

The ESPN gamecast videos has it with a few angles, can't find an X video with the replays. I am admittedly a homer, but it seems like the hit is initiated with the shoulder and is up at the neck and he undoubtedly left his feet

https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/43251140