ATLANTA — One of the most important plays of the Peach Bowl between the Texas Longhorns and Arizona State Sun Devils on Wednesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium involved arguably the most subjective determination in football — whether Texas safety Michael Taaffe committed a targeting penalty when he objectively made helmet-to-helmet contact with Arizona State wide receiver Melquan Stovall on a 10-yard catch on a 3rd and 15.
With the game tied at 24-24 and 1:03 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils faced the critical third down in their own territory trying to mount the game-winning drive after a missed 48-yard, go-ahead field-goal attempt by Longhorns kicker Bert Auburn.