Navy’s Wave Ryder ejected from Armed Forces Bowl after a bogus targeting penalty (VIDEO)
It wouldn't be the 2013 bowl season without a bad targeting call, would it?
Navy safety Wave Ryder was ejected on Tuesday from the Armed Forces Bowl against Middle Tennessee after he was called for targeting on this hit.
While we can forgive the officials on the field from throwing the flag immediately on the play, we're not sure how this ejection held up on replay. Targeting is defined as contact initiated to the head and neck area or contact initiated with the crown of the defender's helmet. This hit is neither.
Ryder did leave his feet to make the hit, but the contact is initiated and led by his shoulder pad to the shoulders of Middle Tennessee's Tavarres Jefferson. There's no contact to the head and neck area, and it only looks like it could be close because Jefferson lowers his head at the last moment. How this wasn't overturned on replay is pretty mind-boggling.
But hey, that's the 2013 NCAA football targeting rule, which we've lambasted before. Thankfully, the consensus is that the rule will be tweaked in the offseason. But that's not soon enough for Ryder, a senior, who gets to miss the rest of his final game of his college career.
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is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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