BGIF... with all due respect, and I mean that seriously because you are the man and bring nothing but excellent knowledge and contributions to this site... I vehemently disagree with everything you are saying. In my opinion, you are wrong, and that SBNation article is wrong. And two of my friends who ref high school football and aren't Notre Dame fans (Virginia Tech) who were watching the game said it was a bad call for reasons I will outline.
The ND play by play lists, PENALTY RO (Redfield). I guess that's supposed to be Roughing the passer but obviously Gardner was not in the act of passing nor was the hitter a step or two from Gardner's passing motion and proceeded into him. Wrong description but still a foul.
The foul called by the officials was roughing the passer. None of the officials near the play threw the flag, and I can't be sure but on rewind I think the call comes from the far side official who could not possibly have seen the contact well from his vantage point.
As you accurately point out, it obvious was not roughing the passer. Which means the fould could only be:
A) Targeting
B) An illegal block (block in the back, etc.)
Redfield's hit was a foul despite the testerone laments to the contrary on this site. Before the Targeting and Defenseless player rules went into effect it would probably have been called a clip, block in the back, or unsportsmanlike conduct ... they're interpretative calls.
Posters here are arguing Redfield didn't hit Gardner in the head or neck which applies to the Targeting Rule. He didn't but the primary objective of Targting/Defenseless is to prevent head and neck injury. Watch Gardner's head snap on the hit.
Lax argued Redfield hit him in the chest. He didn't touch his chest. He was behind him. Redfield hit him on the side in the upper shoulder, snapping Gardner's head and neck back.
This is what is absolutely ridiculous. I've watched the play from every vantage point available full speed and slow motion. I looked at the gif you just linked. I wish I was better at grabbing still frames and uploading pictures and stuff.
Bottom line is that his right hand
clearly hits the front of his chest. This isn't debatable, you can visibly see it and I'll try to still frame it later maybe. His left hand hits is side shoulder.
Neither of these points of contact are prohibited.
There is absolutely no direct contact to the head or neck. None. It is absolutely irrelevant that it "whips."
"As Gardner followed the play, Redfield came from his right side,
smashing him in the side of the neck and helmet." --- this is laughably inaccurate when you watch the replay in slow motion, and I have no idea why SBNation says this. If you disagree, please still frame and circle where any part of Redfield contacts -- much less "smashes" -- his neck and helmet. Because I can see his hands and they don't.
Redfield also hit him with a
BLIND HIT and he crouched and
launched himself.
His hit comes under Rule 9-1-4 addresses hitting Defenseless players. For the past two years this type of hit has been addressed and targeted by the refs. Had the refs called Targeting Redfield would have been ejected.
Had Redfield NOT launched himself there might have been no call. And Onwualu would have kept Gardner out of the play.
Had Redfield taken one step to the left of Gardner there might not have been a call but Gardner still couldn't see him,
BLIND HIT.
Argue to the semantics until the cows come home but
the refs are going to FLAG this type of hit. They did last year and continue to this year.
Had this not occurred on the last play, it might have been explained better. The game was over and the BIG officiating crew wanted to get out of the stadium quicker than Hoke did.
Here's a link to a SBNation article on the play. It includes to videos, one it real time and one in slomo.
http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-fo...dame-fighting-irish-michigan-wolverines-video
Here's an article from the American Football Coaches Association on the pertinent rules.
Targeting and Crown-of-Helmet Guidelines
Missing the forest for the trees here. This all applies
if and only if the defenseless player is subject to a hit that fulfills the requirements of targeting. That means...
A) No player shall target and initiate contact against an opponent with the crown (top) of his helmet. When in question, it is a foul. --- this obviously did not occur.
B) No player shall target and initiate contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent
with the helmet, forearm, fist, elbow or shoulder. When in question, it is a foul. --- so YES he was defenseless... NO he did not hit Gardner in the "head or neck" with a "
helmet, forearm, fist, elbow or shoulder."
So it is NOT targeting. And targeting was NOT called. I wish they had called targeting, because on review it would've been overturned and the play would've stood as a TD.
Finally, you can circle back to it being an illegal block... again, not what was called, and I see no contact that would render it a block below the waist, block in the back, clip, or chop block. Those are the prohibited blocks.