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College football world questions targeting call during Syracuse-Virginia game

Sydney Hunte

By Sydney Hunte

Published:

Syracuse and Virginia took the field at JMA Wireless Dome on Friday evening in a cross-divisional ACC contest. The Orange were looking for their 1st 4-0 start since 2018, while the Cavaliers entered the evening 2-1.

While the Orange ended up winning 22-20 behind a late field goal after blowing a 16-0 halftime lead, it’s a moment in the 3rd quarter that drew the ire of college football fans. Naturally, it was a moment that involved targeting, which has long been a controversial topic in the sport.

Take a look at the video below as Orange QB Garrett Shrader is taken down on a hard hit by Cavs defender Nick Jackson. Although hard, it appeared legal, but it ended up whistled for a penalty:

Generally, if a player makes contact with another player with the crown of his helmet, that’s considered targeting, and is upheld or overturned after a video review. In this case, it doesn’t look as if there was much of that here. However, Jackson was ultimately ejected and will miss the 1st half of the Cavs’ next game.

That didn’t sit well with college football fans:

Sydney Hunte

Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.

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