Well let's go thru this. Did the defender lead with the crown of the helmet? No, not really. A good part of that initial contact was with his facemask. So that takes 9-1-3 off the table.
So we are left with 9-1-4, which reads:
No player shall target and make forcible contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent (See Note 2 below) with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulder. This foul requires that there be at least one indicator of targeting (See Note 1 below). When in question, it is a foul.
So to flag this for targeting we need to have a defenseless player and one indicator of targeting.
Note 1: “Targeting” means that a player takes aim at an opponent for purposes of attacking with forcible contact that goes beyond making a legal tackle or a legal block or playing the ball. Some indicators of targeting include but are not limited to:
Launch — a player leaving his feet to attack an opponent by an upward and forward thrust of the body to make forcible contact in the head or neck area
A crouch followed by an upward and forward thrust to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area, even though one or both feet are still on the ground
Leading with helmet, shoulder, forearm, fist, hand or elbow to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area
So did the UCLA defender launch or crouch? No not really. Did he lead with the helmet or shoulder? For sure. So we satisfied one of the two elements for 9-1-4.
Note 2: Defenseless player (Rule 2-27-14):
• A player in the act of or just after throwing a pass.
• A receiver attempting to catch a forward pass or in position to receive a backward pass, or one who has completed a catch and has not had time to protect himself or has not clearly become a ball carrier.
• A kicker in the act of or just after kicking a ball, or during the kick or the return.
• A kick returner attempting to catch or recover a kick, or one who has completed a catch or recovery and has not had time to protect himself or has not clearly become a ball carrier..
• A player on the ground.
• A player obviously out of the play.
• A player who receives a blind-side block.
• A ball carrier already in the grasp of an opponent and whose forward progress has been stopped.
• A quarterback any time after a change of possession
• A ball carrier who has obviously given himself up and is sliding feet-first.
Do we have a defenseless player? If you say yes, then what part of the definition of defenseless player are you using to justify your stance? If you are saying the 2nd one, would you also say the pass was incomplete?
To me it doesn't appear that he is defenseless. He had time to establish himself as a runner and therefore caught the pass and was no longer defenseless.
Granted in real time I thought it was a targeting call based on crown of the helmet. Further had the back judge called targeting, I doubt replay would have taken him off of it.
over UCLA.