No. 4 LSU will be without its top linebacker for the first half of the critical clash vs. undefeated No. 1 Alabama.
Devin White will miss the first half vs. the Crimson Tide due to being called for targeting in LSU’s 19-3 victory vs. Mississippi State.
The targeting penalty occurred when White hit Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald in the fourth quarter and it was upheld after being reviewed.
THIS was called and upheld as “targeting” on LSU LB Devin White.pic.twitter.com/kzmovvepkF
— Saturday Down South (@SDS) October 21, 2018
Since the penalty happened in the second half of a game, White will have to miss the first half of the Alabama game.
Many observers across the country were livid at the call and The Advocate compiled their frustrations on Twitter.
My handheld angle of the #DevinWhite hit from the Videoboard. My feeling is #LSU shouldn’t lose #40 for this tackle. Not a malicious hit. Your thoughts? pic.twitter.com/Fua0K5LHIn
— Garrett Walvoord (@Mr_Playbyplay) October 21, 2018
That’s the worst targeting call that I’ve ever seen. Now Devin White has to miss the first half of the Alabama game. https://t.co/tgfKZ2Efsw
— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) October 21, 2018
That’s a horse-sh— call-everyone knows it. Stupid interpretation of a rule. Devin White hit him first with arms. To be kicked out of a 1/2 of football is ridiculous. And you gotta play Alabama. Last week ALA DL hit a Missouri player 3 times on the ground. Nothing . https://t.co/58fkRHpMC6
— Michael Detillier (@MikeDetillier) October 21, 2018
They need to be able to overturn targeting calls after games. Devin White is gonna miss the 1st half of the Alabama game b/c of this traveshamockery of a targeting call: pic.twitter.com/BTDyFpbHTM
— Jim Weber (@JimMWeber) October 21, 2018
LSU is gonna be wishing they played in the Pac-12 so that some corporate so-and-so from the central office could’ve called in from a steakhouse bar and reversed that targeting call against Devin White.
— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) October 21, 2018
Exact definition of targeting. Forcible contact to the head or neck area of the QB. This was 10x worse than LSU’s Devin White 2 hand push to the chest! pic.twitter.com/r7469rzpf4
— Jordan Grindstaff (@Jodean85) October 21, 2018
Last thought on this!! In football in 2018 you subject yourself as a player at the refs discretion If you tackle a QB up High! I don’t like missing a half of a game because of the targeting that needs to be changed. @DevinWhite__40 was dealt a bad one but it’s the new football
— Marcus Spears (@mspears96) October 21, 2018
LSU coach Ed Orgeron is taking a no-excuses attitude into the primetime Nov. 3 contest against the defending national champions in Death Valley that will have major SEC and College Football Playoff implications.
“We probably won’t have Devin for the first half, so we’re going to have to make some adjustments there,” Orgeron said to ESPN. “It’s gonna hurt our football team. But you know, hey, we gotta live with it. That’s what it is, that’s the rule, and that’s what we gotta do, and we gotta get somebody ready.”
White amassed 10 tackles, a pass breakup and pressured Fitzgerald which led to an interception in the win vs. Mississippi State.
The junior, who was a preseason All-SEC selection and an ESPN.com midseason All-American, is No. 3 on Mel Kiper’s latest Big Board for the 2019 NFL Draft.
Sophomore Patrick Queen is White’s backup on the LSU depth chart according to ESPN.
LSU linebacker Michael Divinity told ESPN that White is taking it all in stride and the team is making the most of the situation.
“We just gotta go with what the ref called,” Divinity said to ESPN. “We can’t do anything about it … we gotta move forward.”
Safety John Battle insists the LSU defense will hold down the fort until White is cleared after halftime.
