Miami Hurricanes already at a disadvantage going into national championship game thanks to a rule that needs to change
Miami will be without one of its most important defenders going into its biggest game in decades.
College football put in the targeting rule years ago to try to make the sport safer, and to that end, it should be commended.
But unfortunately, the rule has failed in a couple of important respects. One is the seemingly arbitrary and highly confusing nature of the rule itself. Alleged rules experts come on TV during broadcasts, make a clear and confident determination, and then the official on the field makes the opposite ruling. What really is targeting?
The other clear issue is players who are ejected from games for doing nothing more than playing football. The game is played at a million miles an hour. It’s a highly physical and emotionally charged game. Players try to abide by the rules and lead with their shoulder and go into the shoulder. But, funny enough, ballcarriers shift at the last second, and contact with the head gets made.
And as a result, guys get booted from games for hits that in no reasonable world warrant ejections, which affects the outcomes and thus the integrity of the sport as a whole. And if it happens in the second half, then they get suspended for the first half of the next game.
Miami CB Xavier Lucas will miss first half of national championship game due to targeting penalty in the Fiesta Bowl
And that’s just what happened to Miami starting cornerback Xavier Lucas. Lucas was flagged for targeting for this hit on Ole Miss wide receiver Cayden Lee in the second half of the Hurricanes’ 31-27 Fiesta Bowl win.
Miami’s Mario Cristobal talked on Friday about the penalty, noting that Lee’s body shifted as Lucas was timing up his hit.
“Man, that’s a rough call to take, especially when you look at the angle of the player as the player catches the ball,” Cristobal said. “No one can predict that that guy’s upper body is going to end up in that spot when this guy is trying to make a tackle. It’s almost like a cut tackle at the time when he initiates his progress towards the bulk of the receiver. We obviously were banged up, and that’s alright. Obviously, we’ve got a couple of extra days to heal up. And they know it’s, you know what? Strap up. Buckle up. Gotta go. Bottom line is find a way. Gotta go.”
College football is in a position where it needs to change the targeting rules to a review system akin to flagrant one and two fouls in basketball. If a level one targeting occurs, the player gets a warning, and if it happens again, either during that game or perhaps even in the next one, the ejection would apply. And if a player clearly headhunts, which is obvious when it happens, the officials call a level-two targeting penalty and eject the player at that point.
Everyone should want to see both teams at their best for the national championship game, but until the NCAA gets its act together, recognizes the issue with the rule and penalty, and makes a change, we’ll have unfortunate situations like this.
Miami CB Xavier Lucas Stats, Background
- Xavier Lucas transferred to Miami after playing with Wisconsin during the 2024 season.
- Lucas has recorded 30 solo tackles, one forced fumble, one interception, and eight passes defended during the 2025-26 season.
- Lucas will be suspended for the first of the Hurricanes’ National Championship matchup vs. the Indiana Hooisers due to targeting.
College Football
Miami has an eerily similar moment in the Fiesta Bowl, but with a far different ending this time around
The Hurricanes finally were the benefactor of a late-game controversy in the desert.
