DALLAS — Texas coach Steve Sarkisian defended safety Michael Taaffe and his controversial targeting no-call in the Longhorns’ Peach Bowl win against Arizona State during a Friday news conference.“Hey, we don’t play flag football, man,” Sarkisian said during a pre-Cotton Bowl media availability. “This isn’t 7-on-7, this is tackle football. We believe in playing a physical brand of football. We try to do it the right way within the rules ... We’re not going to change the way we play. We’re always going to try and impose our will on our opponents, and Michael’s a great example of that he plays the right way.”Taaffe struck Arizona State wide receiver Melquan Stovall with a helmet-to-helmet hit with 1:12 left in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium to bring up fourth down in a tied game. Had targeting been called, the Longhorns would’ve been assessed a 15-yard penalty, Taaffe would be suspended for the first half of the Cotton Bowl and the Sun Devils would’ve been granted an automatic first down.Instead Arizona State was forced to punt from its own 48-yard line with 1:02 left in the fourth quarter. Texas missed a would-be game-winning kick attempt on its ensuing drive but won the game, 39-31 in double overtime.“There were numerous plays I thought in the game where they were upset about a call,” Sarkisian said. “There was numerous plays [where] I didn’t agree with a call. That’s the way football goes.”The no-call drew national attention. Former NFL official Terry McAuley said on X/Twitter that Taaffe’s hit was “clearly” a targeting foul and CBS Sports rule analyst Gene Steratore (also a former official) said that it “meets all the criteria of targeting.” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham acknowledged postgame that he doesn’t “know what targeting is,” and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark issued a statement that demanded more consistency in officiating.“Moving forward, we need to address CFP officiating to ensure national standards are developed,” Yormark said. “These standards will be crucial to the CFP’s future, and I look forward to discussing them with my fellow committee members when we meet next.”©2025 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. What to Read Next {{hammer}} {{kicker}}

Steve Sarkisian defends Michael Taaffe, targeting no

Instead Arizona State was forced to punt from its own 48-yard line with 1:02 left in the fourth quarter. Texas missed a would-be game-winning kick attempt on its ensuing drive but won the game, 39-31 in double overtime.©2025 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.“Hey, we don’t play flag football, […]

Instead Arizona State was forced to punt from its own 48-yard line with 1:02 left in the fourth quarter. Texas missed a would-be game-winning kick attempt on its ensuing drive but won the game, 39-31 in double overtime.©2025 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.“Hey, we don’t play flag football, man,” Sarkisian said during a pre-Cotton Bowl media availability. “This isn’t 7-on-7, this is tackle football. We believe in playing a physical brand of football. We try to do it the right way within the rules … We’re not going to change the way we play. We’re always going to try and impose our will on our opponents, and Michael’s a great example of that he plays the right way.”Taaffe struck Arizona State wide receiver Melquan Stovall with a helmet-to-helmet hit with 1:12 left in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium to bring up fourth down in a tied game. Had targeting been called, the Longhorns would’ve been assessed a 15-yard penalty, Taaffe would be suspended for the first half of the Cotton Bowl and the Sun Devils would’ve been granted an automatic first down.

The no-call drew national attention. Former NFL official Terry McAuley said on X/Twitter that Taaffe’s hit was “clearly” a targeting foul and CBS Sports rule analyst Gene Steratore (also a former official) said that it “meets all the criteria of targeting.” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham acknowledged postgame that he doesn’t “know what targeting is,” and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark issued a statement that demanded more consistency in officiating.“There were numerous plays I thought in the game where they were upset about a call,” Sarkisian said. “There was numerous plays [where] I didn’t agree with a call. That’s the way football goes.”“Moving forward, we need to address CFP officiating to ensure national standards are developed,” Yormark said. “These standards will be crucial to the CFP’s future, and I look forward to discussing them with my fellow committee members when we meet next.”DALLAS — Texas coach Steve Sarkisian defended safety Michael Taaffe and his controversial targeting no-call in the Longhorns’ Peach Bowl win against Arizona State during a Friday news conference.