Replay officials can now call targeting. They missed this hit on Notre Dame's Torii Hunter Jr.

This offseason, the NCAA approved a new rule that empowers replay officials to call targeting penalties in the event of officials on the field missing them.

Yet ...

... that helmet-to-helmet hit on Notre Dame wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. by Texas' DeShon Elliott still went unpenalized.

According to this new rule, instant replay officials have more responsibility for player safety, including the ability to stop play and call a targeting penalty that the referee on the field may have missed. This official should also inspect every angle of an on-field targeting call to ensure that the foul was properly enforced.

Officials had plenty of time to review the play, as Hunter remained down on the field in the end zone for a couple minutes before being escorted to the sideline. ESPN's Holly Rowe later reported he's unlikely to return to the game.

No one really seems to know exactly what targeting means, and the primary case in any argument among fans on any particular call usually boils down to which team you happen to root for. But it's partly defined by the NCAA as using the shoulder to hit the head or neck area of a receiver who's in the middle of catching a pass, as demonstrated here:

The NCAA's panel "agreed to allow the instant replay official to stop the game and create a targeting foul in situations where an egregious action occurred and was missed by on-field officials. Instant replay officials also are required to review all aspects of targeting fouls called by an on-field official."