Did officials miss targeting call in Oregon's upset over Ohio State?

Zac Al-Khateeb

Did officials miss targeting call in Oregon's upset over Ohio State? image

No. 3 Ohio State became the second top-five team to suffer an upset this season, losing 35-28 to No. 12 Oregon to start the season 1-1.

The Buckeyes struggled on both sides of the ball, giving up 269 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground, spearheaded by CJ Verdell's 161-yard, three-touchdown performance. Ohio State's offensive unit put up 612 yards, but it couldn't convert on third or fourth down, going 6 of 15 and 2 of 5 on conversion attempts, respectively.

Despite their struggles, the Buckeyes had a chance to tie the game at 35 on the team's third-to-last drive. Facing third-and-20 from the Buckeyes' own 41, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud completed a 2-yard pass to receiver Chris Olave. Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell appeared to lower the crown of his helmet in the process of tackling Olave, which would have given Ohio State 15 yards and a fresh set of downs.

RELATED: Oregon stuns No. 3 Ohio State

Olave was low to the ground, but it seemed like a textbook case of leading with the helmet, even if Sewell didn't target Olave's head or neck area. Considering Ohio State had scored on each of its two previous drives and three of its past four, the penalty very well could have swung the game in the Buckeyes' favor. But officials informed the Fox telecast that they had reviewed the play while addressing injuries to Olave and Sewell, determining there was no targeting on the play.

SATURDAY’S CFB HEADLINES

BENDER: Oregon's upset of Ohio State was a long time coming for Pac-12 

Did officials miss targeting call late in Oregon upset over Ohio State?

Pitt QB Kenny Pickett off to fast start, leads Panthers past Tennessee

Georgia's Stetson Bennett lights up UAB in record first half

For what it's worth, Twitter was (mostly) uniform in its agreement that Sewell had committed the penalty:

MORE: Who is CJ Verdell? Meet Oregon running back central to Ohio State upset

Regardless, the Ducks got the ball back two more times, ending each of their final two drives with a punt. The Buckeyes had multiple chances to tie the game after the controversial no-call, but their drives ended with an interception and the end of regulation.

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.