Somehow officials missed an egregious cheap shot on Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa along the Penn State sidelines Saturday.
Tagovailoa was pushed out of bounds on a third quarter play. His momentum carried him into a sea of white jerseys in enemy territory. Then Penn State defensive tackle Fred Hansard decked Tagovailoa, pushing the Terrapins QB to the ground.
It was evident that Tagovailoa was shaken by the fall.
“I fell hard on my head,” Tagovailoa pointed out after the 31-14 win by Penn State.
There was no penalty, and it appeared officials missed the entire sequence. Fortunately, Tagovailoa was able to continue playing the game.
He threw for 371 yards and a touchdown, completing 41-of-57 passes. He threw an interception late in the fourth quarter to Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown, who returned the pick for a touchdown.
Maryland head coach Mike Locksley initially didn’t see Tagovailoa being hit by Hansard. But, acknowledged coaches in the booth alerted him that it should have drawn a flag. It’s possible Maryland could submit video of the sequence to the Big Ten for review.
