Ohio State defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones got tossed from the Buckeyes’ game against Michigan State on Saturday after a second-quarter targeting call. The ejection itself doesn’t matter. Because it came in the first half, Jones won’t be suspended for the first half of the next game, and Ohio State already led 35-0 anyway.
Ohio State player, thrown out for targeting, pumps up fans with an O-H! on his way off the field
Dre’Mont Jones’ ejection came during an OSU rout of Michigan State.
On Jones’ way off the field, he made the Buckeyes’ signature O-H! arm signal to fans at Ohio Stadium, who cheered him as he made his way down the tunnel:
The targeting call on Jones was correct, though it shows a limitation of the NCAA’s rule. Here’s the play that got him (No. 86) ejected:
Targeting fouls have to fit into one of two buckets: a hit with the crown of the helmet, or a hit to the head or neck of a “defenseless opponent.” This one falls into the second, because Jones made contact with Michigan State QB Brian Lewerke’s head just as Lewerke was in the process of throwing a pass. The NCAA’s rulebook explicitly calls players in the act of throwing (or having just thrown) a pass “defenseless.”
There also has to be an “indicator” of targeting: launching, thrusting, leading with contact to the head, or lowering the helmet before doing it. It’s harder to see anything there, but Jones’ hit was on the borderline of a couple of those. The rulebook says if a play’s in question, it’s a foul, and that’s probably why the call stood up after a review.
At any rate, Jones didn’t seem that broken up about it.
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