Georgia Tech’s remarkable skill at creating turnovers this season can be traced to a professional wrestler.
The Yellow Jackets have scored six defensive touchdowns, tied for second nationally. The team has converted its 24 turnovers into 116 points, also the second best in the country.
Coaches and players provide several reasons why the team has been so good at making opponents look so bad. Aggressive play calling is mentioned by coach Paul Johnson, belief is mentioned by players, effort and intelligence is mentioned by coaches.
“Our guys are working, and the hard work is starting pay off,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “It needs to continue.”
This brings us to the Ultimate Warrior, the deceased wrestler whose visage is one of the defense’s inspirations.
Knowing that he would have an inexperienced group, Roof reasoned that creating turnovers would be an important tactic in helping the defense this season.
Roof brainstormed ways before spring practice to keep the players focused on gang-tackling, stripping the ball when tackling, or finding the ball and trying to make plays on pass plays.
Roof came up with a contest titled, Takeaway Titan.
Based upon a series of points for causing turnovers, recovering fumbles and scoring on defense, Roof began grading the players on a chart.
On top of the chart is written Takeaway Titan, with a photo of the Ultimate Warrior. Roof couldn’t remember the wrestler’s name — linebackers coach Andy McCollum reminded him who it was — but the wrestler’s image seemed to fit with the theme.
Isaiah Johnson won the contest in the spring. Linebacker Quayshawn Nealy, who has returned a 10-yard interception for a touchdown and fumble 43 yards for a touchdown, leads the race for an unannounced prize this season with 37 points, eight more than Jamal Golden.
Nealy is one of 10 Tech players with an interception this season. The team has returned a school-record five for touchdowns, which is the best in FBS.
“Any time I can put our team in a better position to win I’m all for it,” Nealy said. “It’s a great feeling that the guys are just battling to catch me. Every guy is trying to be that Takeaway Titan.”
The team is doing nothing different in practice than they did last year when they created 20 turnovers — 14 interceptions and six fumble recoveries — all season. Some of the players are the same. The coaches are the same. The drills are the same. The coaches are stressing it with the same intensity, and the players are trying just as hard as they did last year.
“Guys are just executing it better this year,” said Golden, who has four interceptions and forced two fumbles.
But there is something to be said for seeing results and the confidence it inspires to keep doing what is coached.
Golden’s interception and touchdown against Clemson is an example. Through film study, he recognized that when the tight end lined up on the left side of the formation, the ball usually came to that side. Clemson went to that formation on third-and-4 at the 8-yard line. Golden had the confidence to act on his instincts, slipped through the blockers and intercepted the pass as if it were being thrown to him.
The race to be the Turnover Titan isn’t done. The Jackets will have opportunities to rack up points from turnovers against Georgia on Saturday and against Florida State in the ACC Championship game Dec. 6.
Creating turnovers against the Bulldogs won’t be easy. Georgia’s quarterback have thrown only four interceptions, and the team has lost only four fumbles. The Bulldogs’ turnover margin of plus-1.45 ranks second best in FBS. Tech is tied for ninth with plus-.91.
“We have to continue it to beat good football teams we are playing, like Georgia,” McCollum said.
But nothing else will change. Roof said the only way he knows to try to keep the turnovers coming is to keep doing what they’ve been doing.
“Keep working on it, keep drilling it,” he said. “As coaches you keep emphasizing it. Our players have been doing a good job with it.”
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