The targeting penalty is the talk of the Fiesta Bowl\u2019s fourth quarter. While that controversial targeting call ejected Miami defensive back Xavier Lucas, Mario Cristobal took it hard. That\u2019s precisely why FOX\u2019s Joel Klatt criticized the targeting rule.<\/p>\n
\u201d The targeting penalty is the worst in sports\u2026horrible,\u201d said Klatt via X. \u201cTrying to make a tackle and he HAPPENS to contact the head\u2026ejection\u2026stupid. They should\u2019ve overturned that one.\u201d<\/p>\n
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He simply suggests that, while a targeting penalty can cost a team big in a crucial moment like a CFP semifinal, the ejection by the officials should not have been made, because it could derail Miami\u2019s game plan.<\/p>\n
With 8:54 left in regulation, Lucas left the game after delivering a hit on Ole Miss wideout Cayden Lee. The flag came down quickly, and after a replay review, the call was upheld.<\/p>\n
Here, ESPN rules analyst Bill LeMonnier broke it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do have a launch, and I\u2019d still consider him a defenseless player, because he\u2019s going to the ground and he hasn\u2019t completed the process of the catch\u2026 This is launching right into him,\u201d stated LeMonnier.<\/p>\n
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While the decision left Miami reeling, with its top defensive back sidelined at a critical moment, Ole Miss capitalized immediately.<\/p>\n
Kicker Lucas Carneiro drilled a 21-yard field goal to put the Rebels up 19-17, their first lead since early in the second quarter. So, the officials\u2019 decision turns out to be a big one in favor of the Rebels, as Ole Miss was awarded a 15-yard penalty. But Miami wasn\u2019t done.<\/p>\n
There was still plenty of football left, and Carson Beck\u2019s offense was heading back onto the field. And they delivered. On a huge third-and-10, Beck fired a strike to Keelan Marion to move into field-goal range. Then came the moment. The QB scanned the field and took off, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 18 seconds left.<\/p>\n
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Although Ole Miss had one last gasp, a 40-yard sprint downfield and a desperate Hail Mary. But the ball bounced off a hand and fell incomplete, while Miami survived.<\/p>\n
Now, with the win over the Rebels, Miami advances to the national championship game. But the ejection of Lucas could add another layer to the story.<\/p>\n
Because the targeting occurred in the second half of Thursday\u2019s game, Lucas will be suspended for the first half of the title game. It could be a significant blow for the Hurricanes. Lucas has been a major piece of Miami\u2019s rise this season after his controversial transfer from Wisconsin, and he has made 15 appearances.<\/p>\n
Before the Fiesta Bowl, the Miami DB had piled up 41 tackles and added two tackles for loss. With seven pass breakups on the stat sheet, his absence looms large for Mario Cristobal<\/a>\u2019s squad. But if Miami brings the same dominance it showed in the Fiesta Bowl, the loss may not prove costly.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Miami is just one game away from winning the National Title<\/p>\n Miami punched its ticket to the national championship in dramatic fashion. The Hurricanes erased two fourth-quarter deficitsto stun Ole Miss 31\u201327<\/a> in the CFP semifinal.<\/p>\n Carson Beck sealed it himself, sprinting four yards for the go-ahead TD. With that, Miami enjoyed its first-ever Fiesta Bowl win and now prepares for a national title shot at home in Hard Rock Stadium.<\/p>\n Against the Rebels, Beck and Co. delivered when it mattered most.<\/p>\n While the QB earned game MVP honors after throwing for 268 yards and 2 TDs, Mark Fletcher Jr. was relentless, grinding out 133 yards. Then Keelan Marion had a night to remember with seven catches for 114 yards. The game simmered early, then exploded late.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Miami led 17\u201313 at halftime and clung to a one-point edge entering the fourth. From there, chaos ruled and led to changes. Beck\u2019s 15-play march in the final minutes flipped the script for good. Ole Miss had one last gasp, but the ball fell harmlessly to the turf; Miami moves on.<\/p>\n Now Miami will play to bring the national title home.<\/p>\n The post Unfair Mario Cristobal and Miami Ejection Under Scrutiny as Fiesta Bowl Referees Called Out<\/a> appeared first on EssentiallySports<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The targeting penalty is the talk of the Fiesta Bowl\u2019s fourth quarter. While that controversial targeting call ejected…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":111648,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[4654,53422,56861,53898,7122,123,125,5079,124,4684,9918,56860],"class_list":["post-111647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-carson-beck","tag-fiesta-bowl","tag-joel-klatt","tag-lucas-carneiro","tag-mario-cristobal","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-hurricanes","tag-miami-news","tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","tag-ole-miss","tag-xavier-lucas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}