Back to the UCF Knights Newsfeed

UCF players, coaches grapple with limiting targeting penalties

There was at least one bright spot the UCF football team can point to about the 12 penalties the Knights recorded against Temple last week.

Not one of those was a targeting violation.

On the other hand, the Knights already own half of the four targeting violations committed by American Athletic Conference teams this season. Coaches are hoping that number won't increase during what is expected to be a physical game against UConn Saturday.

Targeting rules were introduced to NCAA football in 2008 in an effort to reduce traumatic head injuries and the rule was amended in 2013 to include automatic ejections for players charged with hitting opponents with the crown of their helmets or hitting defenseless opponents above the shoulders.