Twitter livid at Big Ten officials who appeared to miss targeting call in Ohio State vs. Minnesota

Zac Al-Khateeb

•
Twitter livid at Big Ten officials who appeared to miss targeting call in Ohio State vs. Minnesota image

Ohio State survived its first test of the year with a 45-31 victory over Minnesota at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Thursday.

Regardless of who won the game, however, one thing is certain: No one was happy with Big Ten officials by the end of the contest. They made rough calls all game, with the most notable example coming in the fourth quarter. Minnesota was attempting to overcome a 14-point Buckeyes lead with roughly four minutes remaining when Golden Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan threw a 20-yard strike to Mike Brown-Stephens, who then took a hit from Ohio State defensive back Lathan Ransom.

The tackle — aimed at Brown-Stephens' head and neck area — not only lodged the ball loose, but also left the receiver down on the turf, seemingly concussed from the collision with Ransom. Officials called Brown-Stephens down by contact, then reviewed the play while trainers tended to the downed receiver. When they came back from review, they revealed they weren't reviewing the play for targeting, but whether Brown-Stephens fumbled. They ruled he had, giving Ohio State the ball on a recovery and ending any chance Minnesota had of a comeback.

MORE: Ohio State vs. Minnesota score: Stroud's big debut helps Buckeyes stave off early scare

The play in question, from two angles:

It seems as if officials missed a fairly obvious targeting call, which was only made worse by the fact they reviewed the play to determine whether Brown-Stephens fumbled.

That wasn't the only unpopular ruling Thursday. Officials reversed a targeting call against Ohio State linebacker Teradja Mitchell in the first quarter but later called a questionable roughing the passer penalty against the Buckeyes' Dallas Gant. Regardless, Twitter was incredulous at the officials following their ruling on the Brown-Stephens play:

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.