Targeting no-call at Peach Bowl raises more questions about disputed rule

ATLANTA (AP) — The Peach Bowl referee declined to call a targeting penalty late in the fourth quarter for a helmet-to-helmet hit by Texas safety Michael Taaffe that could've given Arizona State a chance to kick a winning field goal in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals Wednesday.

The fourth-ranked Longhorns went on to beat the No. 10 Sun Devils 39-31 in double overtime after Texas squandered a 16-point lead in the final period of regulation.

The big hit by Taaffe came after Texas missed a field goal attempt with 1:39 remaining that left the game tied at 24-all. Taking over, Arizona State faced third-and-15 from its own 38 when Sam Leavitt delivered a short pass over the middle to Melquan Stovall.

Taaffe arrived about the time Stovall made the 10-yard reception, their helmets clearly hitting, and the Arizona State receiver was left sprawled on the turf.

No flag was thrown, but referee Larry Smith of the Big Ten conference halted play to check the replay for possible targeting. As Stovall was being helped off the field, Smith announced there was no penalty, leaving Arizona State with fourth-and-5 at its own 48.

If targeting had been called, a 15-yard penalty would have given the Sun Devils a first down at the Texas 37. Instead, they punted the ball away.

Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham argued with the officials on the sideline. It was clear he didn't agree with the call after one of his own players, star defensive back Shamari Simmons, had to sit out the first half after being ejected from the Big 12 championship game for a targeting penalty.

Texas took advantage of Simmons' replacement, Montana Warren, to hit two long passes for a touchdown on its opening possession.

“I'm going to be honest, I don't know what targeting is,” Dillingham said. “We lost one of our best players in the first half for targeting, and I just don't know what it is.”

Targeting generally refers to a player delivering a hit while leading with the crown of his helmet. While Taaffe's helmet undoubtedly hit Stovall's, it didn't appear the Texas player lowered his head.

Dillingham said he's baffled by the targeting rule.

“I don't want to comment on something that I have to get a better grasp on what it is," the coach said. “I just don't quite understand it. I do want to protect the players, though. So whatever rules are put in place to protect the players, I'm all about it.”

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Texas linebacker Morice Blackwell Jr. (37) hits Arizona State wide receiver Melquan Stovall (5) during the first half in the quarterfinals of a College Football Playoff, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Arizona State wide receiver Melquan Stovall (5) and Texas defensive back Warren Roberson (24) collide during the first half in the quarterfinals of a College Football Playoff, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Democratic philanthropist George Soros and actor-director Denzel Washington will be awarded the nation's highest civilian honor on Saturday in a White House ceremony.

President Joe Biden will bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 of the most famous names in politics, sports, entertainment, civil rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy and science.

The White House said the recipients have made “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”

Four medals are to be awarded posthumously. They are going to Fannie Lou Hamer, who founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and laid the groundwork for the 1965 Voting Rights Act; former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; George W. Romney, who served as both a Michigan governor and secretary of housing and urban development; and Ash Carter, the former secretary of defense.

Kennedy is father to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for health and human services secretary. Romney is the father of former Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, one of Trump's strongest conservative critics.

Major philanthropists receiving the award include Spanish American chef José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen charity has become one of the world's most recognized food relief organizations, and Bono, the frontman for rock band U2 and a social justice activist.

Sports and entertainment stars being recognized include professional soccer player Lionel Messi; retired Los Angeles Lakers basketball legend and businessman Earvin “Magic” Johnson; actor Michael J. Fox, who is an outspoken advocate for Parkinson’s disease research and development; and William Sanford Nye, known to generations of students as “Bill Nye the Science Guy."

Other awardees include conservationist Jane Goodall; longtime Vogue Magazine editor-in-chief Anna Wintour; American fashion designer Ralph Lauren; American Film Institute founder George Stevens Jr.; entrepreneur and LGBTQ+ activist Tim Gill; and David Rubenstein, co-founder of The Carlyle Group global investment firm.

Last year, Biden bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 19 people, including the late Medgar Evers, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina and actor Michelle Yeoh.

President Joe Biden pauses during a photo opportunity with Medal of Valor recipients in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)