Alabama football
heads into its first road game on Saturday
in the Kalen DeBoer era, as it travels to Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers
.
And while the No. 4 ranked Crimson Tide
should be in a better position on the offensive line than last week, as left tackle Kadyn Proctor is expected to return,
Alabama
will be without a rising member of its defense in the first half vs. the Badgers.
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Senior linebacker Justin Jefferson
is suspended for the first 30 minutes vs. Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium due to a targeting penalty
from last week vs. South Florida
.
REQUIRED READING: Before facing Wisconsin, how has Alabama football performed vs Big Ten opponents?
Here's why Jefferson will miss the first half of Saturday's game vs. Wisconsin:
Why is Alabama's Justin Jefferson suspended for the first half vs. Wisconsin?
Jefferson is currently serving a first-half suspension from his Week 2 targeting penalty against South Florida.
The targeting call against Jefferson came in the fourth quarter of Alabama's win over USF. After review by the officials, it was deemed that Jefferson led with his helmet to the crown USF quarterback Byrum Brown
's helmet as the Bulls
gunslinger scrambled into a slide and Jefferson attempted to make the tackle.
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Since Jefferson was tabbed with targeting in the fourth quarter, or second half, he was automatically suspended for the first half vs. Wisconsin on top of being ejected for the remainder of last week's game.
REQUIRED READING: Alabama football vs Wisconsin: Score prediction, scouting report
Here's what Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack had to say about Jefferson's targeting call during in his news conference on Monday:
"Yeah, obviously it's always disappointing when you have a dynamic player that's not available for one half of the game. We looked at the play. I've looked at it from about every angle that I could. I think we've just got to tell the young man, 'You've just got to keep playing'. It is what it is. We'll deal with it and get ourselves ready for him in the second half."
What is targeting?
As noted in the NCAA Football rule book,
a targeting penalty generally must meet one of the following criteria:
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-
Leading with the crown of the helmet
-
Making forcible contact to head or neck area of a defenseless player
When a player is called for targeting, it results in a 15-yard penalty and an ejection of the offending player. However, if the call occurs in the second half of a game, that player must miss the first half of the next game.
REQUIRED READING: Alabama football LT Kadyn Proctor expected to play vs Wisconsin
Justin Jefferson stats
After spending much of last season on special teams and a few reps at linebacker, Jefferson has seen a bigger role this season. He is currently listed as the second linebacker at the MIKE position in Alabama's depth chart.
Jefferson transferred to Alabama before last season after playing his two years at Pearl River Community College, where he combined for 86 total tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, two sacks, two broken-up passes, a fumble recovery and an interception.
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Here's a look at Jefferson's stats while at Alabama:
-
2023:Four total tackles and a forced fumble
-
2024:12 total tackles and one tackle for a loss
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News:
Justin Jefferson: Alabama LB suspended for first half vs. Wisconsin
