Scott Van Pelt on Arizona State-Texas blown call: 'That's targeting a hundred times out of a hundred'
The controversy over the blown targeting call in Arizona State's 39-31 double-overtime loss to Texas in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals is picking up steam.
The overwhelming consensus: The officials blew the call. And no one knows why, especially since potential targeting calls are automatically reviewed by the booth.
ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt is the latest media member to weigh in. During the New Year's Day broadcast of SportsCenter, SVP and college football analyst Dusty Dvoracek expressed bewilderment at how Texas safety Michael Taaffe wasn't called for targeting on Arizona State wide receiver Melquan Stovall late in the fourth quarter of a tie game.
"If that's a 1 o'clock window game between a couple of ACC or any conference ... or whatever. I don't care who it is. That's targeting a hundred times out of a hundred," said Van Pelt. "It wasn't in this case."
"I thought it was targeting," said Dvoracek. "I picked up the phone, I made a few phone calls. I talked to [rules analyst] Bill LeMonnier, who I think is one of the absolute best ... and he said, verbatim, 'it's a defenseless player. There was an upward thrust indicator. Forceable contact to the head or neck area. It's targeting.'"
"That looked to me to be the letter of the law targeting."
"That's targeting a hundred times out of a hundred. It wasn't in this case."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 2, 2025
Scott Van Pelt on the controversial non-targeting call late in the Arizona State-Texas game. pic.twitter.com/2e7tFO64O6
With the Peach Bowl tied 24-24 and just over one minute to play, Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt completed a 10-yard pass to Stovall over the middle. Stovall was immediately hit, helmet to helmet, by Texas safety Taaffe. Stovall fell to the turf and did not get up for several minutes.
No flag was thrown on the field, but the play was reviewed for targeting. The officials determined it was not targeting, and Arizona State was faced with 4th-and-5 at their own 48-yard line with 1:03 to play. If targeting had been correctly called, ASU would have had the ball 1st-and-10 at the Texas 37-yard line — and Taaffe would have been ejected.
There's no guarantee Arizona State would have won the game, but the Sun Devils should have had the opportunity to control the final 1:03 and set up a potential game-winning field goal — or even bust a big run by running back Cam Skattebo, who dominated Texas in the second half.
After the game, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham was clearly frustrated, but held back in his comments to the media.
"To be honest I don't know what targeting is," Dillingham said after the game. "We lost one of our best players in the first half [Shamari Simmons] for targeting and I just don't know what it is, so I don't want to comment on something that I have to get a better grasp of what it is. ... I just don't quite understand it."
Simmons, Arizona State's best defensive back, was suspended for the first half of the Peach Bowl after being flagged for targeting in Arizona State's 45-19 win over Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game.
Here's the targeting play in question:
I have watched every college football game that matters — and tons that don’t — for the entire targeting era. How is this not targeting? Legit would love to hear this explained. It’s textbook. pic.twitter.com/yjNOtnoEX4
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 1, 2025
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.