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UH player's late hit on Tulane quarterback was ugly, avoidable
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It wasn't a high profile game, so chances are you didn't see the late hit by the University of Houston's Phillip Hunt on Tulane quarterback Joe Kemp.
Hunt is a terrific pass rusher and the best player on the UH defense. He has 10 sacks, good for third in the county. He is a good kid and plays hard every down.
But his late hit Saturday night -- which led to a 15-yard penalty -- was brutal and unfortunate.
It was also avoidable.
Tulane had the ball on a third-down play; the Cougars were lined up in a blitz formation and were clearly bringing the house. The play began, and Hunt and the Cougar defense went flying after the quarterback.
Right before the hit, Kemp stopped the play and dropped his hands. Hunt hit him at full speed. The officials had blown the play dead due to delay of game.
Hunt clearly did not hear the whistle, and it was obviously blown late. Many players did not hear it. Fans on that side of the field did not hear it.
Hunt, in a full speed rush, may or may not have had time to stop even if he had heard it. But he could have slowed down.
Kemp suffered a broken collarbone and is out for the season. It was a sad result of an unfortunate play.
And it should have been avoided.
The referees did a terrible job of stopping the play. No one stepped in to protect the quarterback. No refs wave off the play where the defensive linemen could see it.
Hunt clearly should have seen Kemp drop his arms and relax. He should have slowed down at that point; it was bang-bang, but alarm bells had to go off when Kemp stopped playing.
In the end, Hunt bears responsibility for the hit. But the adults on the field -- the officials -- have to be smarter. They have a duty to protect the players. It speaks to a bigger problem -- C-USA refs are notoriously lousy. They are sloppy and often downright incompetent.
That doesn't excuse Hunt. But it's not all on him, either.
Hunt apologized for the hit and he did seem truly remorseful. It is hard to imagine he intended to hurt the other player.
But it should have been avoided. One way or another.
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