OU seeks review of possible targeting call
NORMAN – OU head coach Lincoln Riley confirmed that the team turned in Saturday's potential missed targeting play on running back Eric Gray for review.
The play in question occurred during the first quarter when Gray was blindsided by a Tulane defender while trailing a quarterback sneak. Riley claims the team is still awaiting a response from the NCAA and that it could come in as early as Tuesday evening.
“It looked like a targeting to me that they just missed,” Riley said on Tuesday. “But we'll see what the official response is from the league.”
According to the 2021 NCAA Football Rules Book, a player must take aim at the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with forcible contact via the crown of his helmet.
It's the word “defenseless” that causes controversy, however. The NCAA's Rules Book doesn't define what makes a player protected or not protected, which is why the targeting call is one of the hardest decisions for officials.
In Gray's case, veteran NFL referee Terry McAulay believes the defender should have been called for targeting.
“Another Big 12 targeting miss,” McAulay said via Twitter. “(Defender) leads with the crown and makes forcible contact using the crown to an opponent. This would also be considered a rare blindside block by the defense, thus, the offensive player is defenseless and gets head/neck area protection.”
Another instance of the call came late in the second quarter when Sooners strong safety Key Lawrence tackled Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt, who was in the process of sliding after scrambling for a first down.
Lawrence was initially called for targeting, but it was ultimately overturned. Instant replay showed that the sophomore didn't lead with the crown of his helmet and was already in the process of tackling Pratt before he began to slide down.
“(Lawrence) obviously led with his shoulder and didn't hit him in the head,” Riley said. “In my opinion, (Pratt) didn't slide nearly early enough to gain protection. If you've already committed yourself to the tackle and the guy hasn't even started to slide, I don't know how you put that on the defensive player. But you do understand in this day and age that they're gonna err on the side of the protection, and I understand that.”
Targeting continues to be a tough call for officials, but Riley feels the no-call on Gray is an outlier of an otherwise good job by the crew.
“I think (the targeting rule) is in a good place,” Riley said. “I like that they're all reviewed. I like that you can take them off… Our guys, our league have a clear understanding and I feel that it's well defined. I'm not saying it's easy, but I feel like it is well defined.”
Packed-out Palace
The Palace should be rocking on Saturday.
After being limited to 25% capacity last season and only being about halfway full against Tulane due to the late location change, Saturday's game against Western Carolina will mark the first opportunity for OU to play in front of a full home crowd at Gaylord Family —Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since Nov. 23, 2019.
“We've been waiting for this week for a long, long, long time,” Riley said. “Ready to finally have a full capacity and get back to the atmosphere that we know and love, the place that we know and love.”
The Sooners enter Saturday's contest against the Catamounts as the heavy favorites, but they'll still appreciate any extra advantage that a home crowd can give them.
“We know that fans could have an impact on the game for sure when you're playing on your home field,” junior linebacker David Ugwoegbu said. “We're definitely looking forward to a packedout palace.”
No pain, no Shane
Shane Whitter looked to be a potential breakout candidate entering this season.
The sophomore linebacker showed flashes of potential during his freshman campaign, recording nine tackles in nine games. Whitter then drew high praise from OU's staff during the offseason and was even described by inside linebackers coach Brian Odom as someone who was expected to be a “major player” in 2021.
But that wasn't the case against Tulane. Whitter entered the contest as the fourth player on the weakside inside linebacker depth chart and didn't play a single defensive snap against the Green Wave.
OU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch pointed to Whitter's lack of accountability on Tuesday as the reason for his benching.
“Shane Whitter's status with this program has to get a whole lot better,” Grinch said. “He has to be more accountable, both on and off the football field.”
Injury updates
Numerous players didn't suit up for OU during its season opener against Tulane on Saturday.
While Theo Wease (leg), Ryan Peoples (ankle) and Ethan Lane (knee) were already ruled out before kickoff, a few surprise scratches included redshirt juniors Jordan Kelley and Drake Stoops.
When asked on Tuesday about the cause of Kelley's absence, Riley hinted that he and a number of other players didn't play due to COVID-19 protocols.
“Jordan, a couple of guys out was, you know, from medical reasons,” Riley said. “I'll let y'all figure it out. So hopefully you have some of those guys back here.”