Sports

Alabama Running Back’s Vicious Hit Stick Reflects Contradictory Rules For College Football Targeting

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Justice Haynes Viral Run Targeting Hit
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Alabama running back Justice Haynes went viral for his big hit stick against Missouri on Saturday. However, the collision reflects a direct contradiction in the rules of college football.

If he was a defender, he would not have been allowed to stay in the game.

Haynes, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound sophomore, cut back through a gaping hole on the left side during the fourth quarter. Safety Tre’Vez Johnson recognized the run and got up field to make the tackle.

Both players met at the 30-yard-line. Their helmets smacked together to make a big pop. Haynes kept his feet, accelerated back to the right, avoided a second would-be tackler and scored a touchdown.

The truck stick went extremely viral, for good reason. It could be heard from outer space.

As cool as it was, Haynes committed a textbook targeting penalty if the script was flipped. (So did Johnson, for what it’s worth…)

Justice Haynes wasn’t called for targeting!

The NCAA defines targeting as any hit that “goes beyond making a legal tackle or legal block or playing the ball.” Players cannot initiate forcible contact to the head or neck area against an opposing player.

Four key indicators of targeting are outlined by the NCAA.

  1. Launch — a player leaving his feet to attack an opponent by an upward and forward thrust of the body to make forcible contact in the head or neck area.
  2. A crouch followed by an upward and forward thrust to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area, even though one or both feet are still on the ground.
  3. Leading with helmet, shoulder, forearm, fist, hand or elbow to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area.
  4. Lowering the head before attacking by initiating forcible contact with the crown of the helmet.

The “crown of the helmet” is defined as “the top segment of the helmet; namely, the circular area defined by a six-inch radius from the apex (top) of the helmet.”

Now rewatch Justice Haynes’ crazy touchdown run with those four parameters in mind.

First he crouched. His crouch, caused in part by a slip, was then followed by a forward thrust. He led with his helmet and lowered his head to make contact with the crown of the helmet. (Johnson did the same.)

This is not to take away from Haynes’ insane run. It was awesome!

Rather, this is to point out that college football’s targeting rule is broken. If this sequence of events was reversed, and Haynes was the tackler, he would’ve been thrown out of the game. Instead, because he is a running back, it was considered the best run of the week.

How does that make any sense?