Four ejections in Ole Miss-Louisville game leads to calls for change to targeting rule
The final game of the opening weekend of the 2021 college football season featured a whopping four ejections in the first half.
Mississippi rolled to a 43-24 win over Louisville in Monday night’s game in Atlanta but two Rebels players were disqualified for targeting. Then two Louisville players were called for targeting on one play and were ejected.
That all happened in the first 30 minutes of Monday’s game.
Former NFL referee Terry McAulay wrote on Twitter that the automatic disqualification for targeting was a “nightmare” in week one of college football.
McAulay, the rules analyst for NBC Sports’ “Sunday Night Football,” wasn’t alone in seeing a problem with the targeting rule. Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt proposed a change.
“It is officiated wildly inconsistent & yet carries the most punitive consequences!must be addressed!!” Klatt wrote on Twitter. “We need to only eject in egregious and malicious occurrences.Targeting 1 (15 yards)Targeting 2 (15 yards & ejection).”
McAulay responded to Klatt by writing: “There is no one who worked harder between 2013-18 than I did to get 2 levels of targeting and despite the numerous high profile plays demonstrating the need for it, the FBS Commissioners refused to even consider it.”
Coach gets 100K bonus
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin wasn’t at Monday’s game after a positive COVID-19 test, but he’ll still receive a $100,000 bonus for the victory, USA Today reported.
Ole Miss Athletics Foundation is paying the bonus for defeating a non-conference Power-5 team.
Djokovic ties Graff
Novak Djokovic advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open on Monday night with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory against Jenson Brooksby.
it was Djokovic’s 25th straight victory at a major, which ESPN Stats & Info said was his fourth career streak of winning 25 or more matches in a major. That tied Steffi Graf for the most such streaks by any male or female in the Open Era, ESPN noted.
Tennis player falls over the net
Also at the Open, Matteo Berrettini asked for fans to cheer for his opponent, Oscar Otte, during their match Monday night.
Otte was injured in the fourth set after falling over the net on a point.
A wrist injury was the result for Otte, Yahoo Sports said, and he lost 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. When it ended, Berrettini encouraged fans to show their appreciation for Otte.
“Oscar had a great run and I told him that he didn’t deserve (to go out with an injury), but that’s tennis,” Berrettini said, per the ATP Tour.
Texas pitcher makes history
Rookie pitcher A.J. Alexy has been a bright spot for the Texas Rangers, who are in last place in the AL West.
Alexy has won both of his starts this season, allowing just one hit in both games.
Stats by Stats noted that no rookie in the modern era of baseball has allowed one hit or fewer in his first two career starts:
