Through one half of football, there have been quite a few big plays from both Ohio State and Clemson during this entertaining Fiesta Bowl. And one of them was a rather controversial “targeting” penalty that was called against Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Shaun Wade.
With the Buckeyes leading 16-0 late in the second quarter, Wade came off the edge on a blitz and nailed Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with a hard hit. That blow, along with Chase Young’s follow-up tackle, left Lawrence on the ground in pain and forced him to leave the game.
It also resulted in Wade’s departure from the contest, as officials deemed it to be “targeting” up[on further review.
You be the judge:
It would turn out to be a game-changing call for Clemson, as they were awarded a first down (rather than having to punt it away on fourth down), and Lawrence would return one play later to help lead the Tigers to two touchdowns before the half.
