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There are going to be a lot of complaints about the officiating in the Music City Bowl when all is said and done.
First, it was a ridiculous personal foul penalty on Kentucky’s star running back Benny Snell Jr. that resulted in an ejection. Then, it was a questionable targeting penalty that cost Paddy Fisher the second half of the final game of his freshman season.
It appeared that Fisher’s helmet hit the ball-carrier’s chest rather than making head-to-head contact. Apparently the officials saw it differently and ejected the Northwestern linebacker.
This was the targeting call. #Pac12Refs pic.twitter.com/aVRv4WIfrk
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) December 29, 2017
That was a significant loss for Northwestern, as Fisher was one of the top defenders for the Wildcats this season. It was a call that Pat Fitzgerald called one of the worst he’s ever seen during a halftime interview.
Fisher finished the season with 110 total tackles, ranking fourth in the B1G. He also had 8 tackles for loss, 3 pass break-ups and an interception in his freshman season.
What do you think? Was Fisher rightfully ejected?
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB