Georgia Football: J.J. Green Ejected for Targeting Penalty vs. Troy

It was a tough start on Saturday for former Georgia running back J.J. Green, now a defensive back for the Bulldogs. After receiving limited playing time in the first two games of the season, Green entered in the first quarter against Troy and was promptly ejected for a targeting penalty (via Gentry Estes, 247sports):

That it happened on Green's very first moment of action has to be discouraging for a player who has worked so hard after transitioning from the offense.

But was it a good call in the first place?

The targeting rule, which has been the subject of much, er, discussion over the past few years, tends to rear its ugly head week in and week out and more often than not, the interpretation is in question.

Every ejection is reviewed, and you would think that would help clear up some of the trickier calls.  However, it seems to only subject the officials to further criticism given that folks expect the right decision to be made every time if a review is allowed.

Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee was among those who disagreed with the ejection of Green:

Part of the problem stems from the speed of plays, where referees simply do not have the ability to see exactly what occurred during the hit. With the head and shoulders often making contact simultaneously with the offensive player, sometimes how the hit merely looks seems to be what prompts the ejection.

Fortunately for Green and the Bulldogs, he'll be back again next week when Tennessee comes to town. The Vanderbilt Commodores will follow the Volunteers into Athens the week after that, giving Mark Richt's team plenty of time to get things squared away in the secondary after allowing Dylan Thompson to throw for 271 yards in South Carolina's 38-35 victory on Sept. 20th.