Rohan Gaines Ejection

[WardamnHOGGLE]

Is he required to miss 1/2 game because of this penalty or will he be allowed to play next week?

[onebadrubi]

If it was in the second half he will have to miss the first half.  I don't remember if it was in the first half or second half, I believe second though

[WardamnHOGGLE]

We need him.  Not cool.

[jkstock04]

Was wondering the same thing.

[WardamnHOGGLE]

9:51 left in the 3rd quarter.   

[jkstock04]

So he has to miss 1st half of ole miss game...that really sucks.

[onebadrubi]

Look at the bright side.  He will come out fresh and ready in the second half!

[WardamnHOGGLE]

I think he has to sit. 

[WardamnHOGGLE]

I felt like the defense huddled together when he was ejected and said let's play stronger for him.  I kinda felt like the Defense stepped it up 2 notches after he was thrown out. 
He's a good player, I hope he doesn't get down on himself.

[hoggusamoungus]

I think he has to sit.

From Saturday Down South.



Likewise, Arkansas safety Rohan Gaines faced an ejection after a targeting call while defending LSU tight end DeSean Smith in the third quarter of the Razorbacks' 17-0 win. He'll now miss the first half of Saturday's game against Ole Miss.

[HamHands]

I know I mainly watch SEC games, but do other conferences call targeting penalties as much as the SEC? Seems there is a targeting call every game I have watched.

[beachhawg]

SEC plays so fast it just messes you up,  ref edition

[root_hawg]

Yes, it is an automatic one half rest since the penalty occurred in the second half

[rude1]

I know I mainly watch SEC games, but do other conferences call targeting penalties as much as the SEC? Seems there is a targeting call every game I have watched.

That was a legitimate one. I thought he missed in real time, but once I saw it slow, you could see him loading the forearm to deliver a knockout, and though he didn't get him cleanly, he did get him. Use this as a learning experience and pull off instead of looking to deliver the big hit.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

Hate that damn rule!!!

Abused and overused way too much.

[Paul]

Yeah, he went for the head & knocked out the guy's mouthpiece.  If he'd him in the shoulder it prolly wouldn't have been called

[hogcard1964]

Just a really poor rule that the NCAA needs to correct.

[root_hawg]

Anything shoulders and above ... but good rule .. no need to make that hit

[DOGALUM]

Like the rule or not....it was a stupid play that he knew better than to make. 

[onebadrubi]

That was a legitimate one. I thought he missed in real time, but once I saw it slow, you could see him loading the forearm to deliver a knockout, and though he didn't get him cleanly, he did get him. Use this as a learning experience and pull off instead of looking to deliver the big hit.

I agree exactly.  I think some of it had to do with the lsu player falling but it was the right call

[HognVA]

Yeah, he went for the head & knocked out the guy's mouthpiece.  If he'd him in the shoulder it prolly wouldn't have been called

Although if you look at the receiver he was pretty low and made a difference on where he was hit. If the receiver was upright then the forearm would have been in the chest/ball area. I understand the penalty but I think an ejection is too much.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

Like the rule or not....it was a stupid play that he knew better than to make.

I'm old school and just disagree.

You can't coach the killer instinct out of kids nor do you want to. Hitters wanna hit and when your flying around it's not easy just to put the brakes on mid stride.

As a D back you wanna do two things, handle your area and send a message to receivers our secondary is a no fly zone.

Hard to do that with the refs being flag happy and an ejection weighing on your mind.

Don't get me wrong if it's blatant and just plain dirty then flag em but I don't think that was the case here.

[Quickdraw]

The bottom line is Rohan is a smart player and the Coaches have coached all season to play smart. Rohan could have pulled up but chose not too and it cost him a half on the next game.

[SquidBilly]

When did hitting in the head become such a cool thing to do.  I remember Atwater being a ferocious hitter but I don't remember him leading with the crown of his helmet or hitting guys deliberately in the head.  There is a right way to deliver a blow and these players need to learn that.

[DOGALUM]

I'm old school and just disagree.

You can't coach the killer instinct out of kids nor do you want to. Hitters wanna hit and when your flying around it's not easy just to put the brakes on mid stride.

As a D back you wanna do two things, handle your area and send a message to receivers our secondary is a no fly zone.

Hard to do that with the refs being flag happy and an ejection weighing on your mind.

Don't get me wrong if it's blatant and just plain dirty then flag em but I don't think that was the case here.

Hey....I'm old school too.....and I think it's a stupid rule.   But it's a rule and they all know it.  While he may or may not have been able to pull up......he absolutely could have not lead with his head.   Old school or not....you have to play smart.  There are other things......team things.....that matter much more than the fear you may or may not strike into their receivers.   Now he's out for the first half next week.   

If the rule isn't an automatic ejection.....nail him.  But it is.....

[rude1]

I'm old school and just disagree.

You can't coach the killer instinct out of kids nor do you want to. Hitters wanna hit and when your flying around it's not easy just to put the brakes on mid stride.

As a D back you wanna do two things, handle your area and send a message to receivers our secondary is a no fly zone.

Hard to do that with the refs being flag happy and an ejection weighing on your mind.

Don't get me wrong if it's blatant and just plain dirty then flag em but I don't think that was the case here.

I disagree. I think this was the perfect play to illustrate why the rule was put in. The ball was clearly by the receiver, RG had made his mind up already coming up he was going to deliver that shot. No point in laying out defenseless receivers who don't even have the ball.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

When did hitting in the head become such a cool thing to do.  I remember Atwater being a ferocious hitter but I don't remember him leading with the crown of his helmet or hitting guys deliberately in the head.  There is a right way to deliver a blow and these players need to learn that.

BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He wasn't leading with the crown of his head.

The receiver was falling and he caught him in the head with his forearms.

It happened really fast and had the receiver been positioned differently the hit would have landed differently and likely not been flagged. I don't think he was intentionally targeting his head.

This isn't freaking madden it's real american FB and shite happens sometimes when you're flying around at 100 mph!

[jjdlc]

I agree exactly.  I think some of it had to do with the lsu player falling but it was the right call

Yes, even though the call was correct, I think had the LSU player not fell, it would have ended as a clean hit.  Either way, these are the kind of things that these kids will clean up going forward.

[jjdlc]

BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He wasn't leading with the crown of his head.

The receiver was falling and he caught him in the head with his forearms.

It happened really fast and had the receiver been positioned differently the hit would have landed differently and likely not been flagged. I don't think he was intentionally targeting his head.

This isn't freaking madden it's real american FB and shite happens sometimes when you're flying around at 100 mph!

This, there was no malicious intent in Gaines play,  biggest problem here is the slow motion replay made it look like he had more time to pull up than he really did.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

I disagree. I think this was the perfect play to illustrate why the rule was put in. The ball was clearly by the receiver, RG had made his mind up already coming up he was going to deliver that shot. No point in laying out defenseless receivers who don't even have the ball.

I've taken and given hits in HS and college way worse than that and I'm still walking around perfectly fine.

I just despise that rule since it carries an ejection.

You throw a kid out of a game that is just trying to make a play, just pisses me off.

Also I've seen players pull up and not make a crushing hit only for the receiver to come down with the ball.

IMO they're hamstringing defensive players with the rule being the way it is.

[jesterzzn]

I hated it.  He had his head up and delivered the hit with his arms.  Yes, his facemack made contact.  Yes the rules say any hit above the shoulders is targeting.

I don't dislike the targeting rule.  I do dislike how its worded.  I especially dislike that players are be ejected for something that is statistically less dangerous than a chop block on an engaged lineman.

In short, I didn't get mad about the penalty but I think the ejections are pathetic.

[rude1]

I've taken and given hits in HS and college way worse than that and I'm still walking around perfectly fine.

I just despise that rule since it carries an ejection.

You throw a kid out of a game that is just trying to make a play, just pisses me off.

Also I've seen players pull up and not make a crushing hit only for the receiver to come down with the ball.

IMO they're hamstringing defensive players with the rule being the way it is.

The game changes, the game evolves for player safety. They aren't saying don't hit the receiver hard to dislodge him from the ball, what they are saying is don't accomplish this by leading with your head or going to his head. What they also don't want is for plays like last night, when the receiver has already missed the catch but the safety still comes up and blasts him when there was an opportunity to pull up.

[jesterzzn]

When did hitting in the head become such a cool thing to do.  I remember Atwater being a ferocious hitter but I don't remember him leading with the crown of his helmet or hitting guys deliberately in the head.  There is a right way to deliver a blow and these players need to learn that.

You didn't watch much Atwater.  His second most famous hit was one where he knocked three people out cold on the same play, one of them himself.  And yes, he hit them both in the head with his head.

And no, there was no penalty on the play.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

The game changes, the game evolves for player safety. They aren't saying don't hit the receiver hard to dislodge him from the ball, what they are saying is don't accomplish this by leading with your head or going to his head. What they also don't want is for plays like last night, when the receiver has already missed the catch but the safety still comes up and blasts him when there was an opportunity to pull up.

I think the "opportunity" to pull up is being vastly over exaggerated personally.

Also when your intentions are to place a clean hit but you miscalculate the rate at which the player is falling or a last minute body position change causes the hit to land wrong I just don't see ejecting a player for that.

Flag him ok whatever, but ejection is total crap.

Ejection should be reserved for blatant unsportsmanlike actions and that was not even close to that.

[jesterzzn]

Ejection should be reserved for blatant unsportsmanlike actions and that was not even close to that.

The crazy thing is the same situation, but instead of hitting him in the ear hole he grabbed him by the face mask and drug him to the ground, Gaines gets to stay in the game.

The rules are entirely out of balance right now.

[arkfan81]

The game changes, the game evolves for player safety. They aren't saying don't hit the receiver hard to dislodge him from the ball, what they are saying is don't accomplish this by leading with your head or going to his head. What they also don't want is for plays like last night, when the receiver has already missed the catch but the safety still comes up and blasts him when there was an opportunity to pull up.

Question for you, on kick and punt returns, how many times you see guys gearing up for a big hit from the blind side? Isnt that just as bad?

[rude1]

I think the "opportunity" to pull up is being vastly over exaggerated personally.

Also when your intentions are to place a clean hit but you miscalculate the rate at which the player is falling or a last minute body position change causes the hit to land wrong I just don't see ejecting a player for that.

Flag him ok whatever, but ejection is total crap.

Ejection should be reserved for blatant unsportsmanlike actions and that was not even close to that.

They are trying to teach the kids not to do it by throwing them out. RG clearly had enough time to pull up last night as the ball was clearly past the receiver by the time he got there to attempt his knockout forearm.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

The crazy thing is the same situation, but instead of hitting him in the ear hole he grabbed him by the face mask and drug him to the ground, Gaines gets to stay in the game.

The rules are entirely out of balance right now.

Completely agree, the punishment outweighs the crime with this targeting stuff more often than not.

[HamHands]

Not arguing with the call. I just want to know if the other conferences call this penalty as often as the SEC.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

They are trying to teach the kids not to do it by throwing them out. RG clearly had enough time to pull up last night as the ball was clearly past the receiver by the time he got there to attempt his knockout forearm.

Question you ever played football at a decently advanced level?

Just curious.

[rude1]

Question you ever played football at a decently advanced level?

Just curious.

LOL NO. Guess that makes you the expert huh?

[jesterzzn]

Not arguing with the call. I just want to know if the other conferences call this penalty as often as the SEC.

Yes.  I've seen it quite a bit.  Usually I agree with the call, but I just find the ejections to be entirely out of line with the rest of the rules.  It's stupid, frankly. 

Okie had a fullback get tossed for blocking a player with his helmet.  Okay, personally the penalty on the play was debatable, but not out of line.  The ejection?  Just moronic.

[jesterzzn]

LOL NO. Guess that makes you the expert huh?

I wouldn't say expert, but I did play safety at the small college level.  I think your insistence that Gaines had time to judge the situation and pull up is simplistic and not reflective of reality.  Fact is the hit was clean in almost every single other instance of football that it might be applied, including a crackback block on a player facing the other direction.

In other words, Gaines can be legally hit on a crackback just exactly like he hit that receiver.  The rules are not in balance with the reality of the sport.  They need to reword things, or change a lot of other legal plays into targeting.  I hope they decided on the former.

[hogcard1964]

We're getting to the point to where wide receivers and quarterbacks will not be allowed to be tackled. 

[rude1]

I wouldn't say expert, but I did play safety at the small college level.  I think your insistence that Gaines had time to judge the situation and pull up is simplistic and not reflective of reality.  Fact is the hit was clean in almost every single other instance of football that it might be applied, including a crackback block on a player facing the other direction.

In other words, Gaines can be legally hit on a crackback just exactly like he hit that receiver.  The rules are not in balance with the reality of the sport.  They need to reword things, or change a lot of other legal plays into targeting.  I hope they decided on the former.

Yes RG had time to pull up IMO, it wasn't a bang bang play, the ball clearly was already by the receiver by the time he got there. The only reason he couldn't pull up is because he saw the play developing and had already decided he was coming up for the knockout. They aren't changing the rules, and I have seen other guys pull off on that play, RG can do the same.

[RazorPiggie]

Just an ignorant play by our guy. Liddell came in and played well in his absence.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

LOL NO. Guess that makes you the expert huh?

No man not at all but being I have (1AA not close to SEC, but higher than HS) I can relate to Gaines a bit.

Sometimes you miscalculate, sometimes your just moving too fast or the player moves at the last minute. It just happens.

On the field you're not in a vacuum and things aren't controlled, it's fluid and moving fast, in the SEC crazy fast.

You don't eject a player for an honest mistake and you don't just assume he could have pulled up because slow motion makes it look like he could have.

If you must, flag him, but don't eject him and make him sit next game too that's freaking criminal.

[TheRazorbackGuy]

Who was Gaines replacement when he was ejected? Was it Freshman Lidell?

[Smokehouse]

Yes RG had time to pull up IMO, it wasn't a bang bang play, the ball clearly was already by the receiver by the time he got there. The only reason he couldn't pull up is because he saw the play developing and had already decided he was coming up for the knockout. They aren't changing the rules, and I have seen other guys pull off on that play, RG can do the same.

Haven't rewatched it, but during the game I thought it looked like RG lost the ball in the air and was trying to level a big hit because he thought the receiver was about to get the ball. Don't have a problem with the call, it was clearly correct by the rules, but didn't think it was all that egregious by Gaines. It always looks like the player can pull up when you have the benefit of the slowed down replay.

[PonderinHog]

Look at the bright side.  He will come out fresh and ready in the second half!

I hope he takes someone's head clean off.  Wait, no, nevermind...