Utah's best defensive player ejected on questionable targeting call

Chase Hansen tried to avoid Steven Montez’s helmet. He apparently didn’t do a good enough job.

Hansen, Utah’s leading tackler, was ejected in the first half of the Utes’ game for targeting against Montez. The call was, to put it mildly, questionable. Hansen’s helmet was to the side of Montez but it nicked the quarterback’s facemask just enough to draw a flag.

Targeting is when a player leads with the crown of his helmet to make a tackle. While Hansen’s helmet is in front of his body, it’s nearly impossible to tackle without leaning forward. And he clearly aimed for and hit Montez’s shoulder. He wasn’t going after Montez’s head.

Calling the penalty on the field is excusable. Keeping it intact after slow-motion replay isn’t.

Hansen entered the game with 88 tackles and 19 tackles for a loss. At least for Utah the penalty came in the first half so Hansen doesn’t have to miss part of the game against BYU next week.

– – – – – – –

Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter

More from Yahoo Sports:

• Jazz’s Mitchell has historically bad shooting night
• Paylor: Inside the Rams’ week of chaos
• Butler: ‘So much more fun to play’ with Sixers
• How to stock your bench for fantasy football playoffs