Mocs show off ‘turnover bag’ against Bulldogs
CHARLESTON, S.C. — The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defenders got in their bag a couple of times Saturday. And they got to show off for it. The Mocs forced two turnovers in Saturday’s 29-28 overtime victory over The Citadel, which gave them a chance to sport their new “turnover bag,” a backpack that the player who forces a turnover gets to put on after making the play. Inside is a gold football the turnover creator gets to sign.
Defensive backs coach Jeremiah Wilson spoke continually during preseason camp about making plays, often telling players he had “a bag” for them if they intercepted a pass or forced a lost fumbe. That was turned into reality with the introduction of the backpack.
The Mocs have created four turnovers this season after forcing a total of 12 in 11 games in 2017.
“We knew creating takeaways would be a huge key for our success,” UTC head coach Tom Arth said. “It’s a big area where we need to improve. We wanted to give guys something they could get excited about and rally around. It’s fun and added motivation for them. They understand how important the ball is, and we’ve done a great job of emphasizing it all camp and all season long.
“It’s paying off for us in a big way.”
So far, Kareem Orr has been the biggest beneficiary of the bag with an interception and a fumble recovery. Jerrell Lawson had the interception he returned for a score against Tennessee Tech last week, while Demarcus Williams had a fumble recovery in the second half at The Citadel.
“It brings new life to the field,” said defensive end Isaiah Mack, who had 16 tackles and a half-sack Saturday. “It brings us together in a way. You want the bag? Got to get the turnover, because that’s the only way to get the bag.
“We’ve done a good job of forcing turnovers and getting the bag. You can’t beat it.”
Linebacker Marshall Cooper, who totaled 15 tackles in his second career start, said the backpack has gotten bigger each week, so he doesn’t mind if he has to wait until late in the season to get his opportunity.
“I’m just going to wait until they have the most expensive bag before I put mine on,” he said.
The Mocs needed to go deep into their bag of defensive personnel Saturday, losing defensive linemen Telvin Jones and Devonnsha Maxwell as well as linebacker Tavon Lawson to injuries during the game. Their statuses weren’t immediately known, yet the Mocs still found a way to get the win.
Derek Mahaffey finished with 11 tackles and teamed with Mack on a sack, while Khayyan Edwards had 10 stops. The Bulldogs finished with 290 yards rushing on 70 carries, but the Mocs had a couple of key second-half stops, including one late in the game to give the offense one final shot.
“That’s what we live for there is getting big-time stops,” Cooper said. “It shows how good of a defense we can be, how aggressive we can be and how we’re not going to let other things get to us.”