Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
“We Preach It”: Blue Raiders’ Daily Practice Turnover Circuit Paid Big Dividends on Saturday
9/8/2021 6:00:00 PM | Football
The three drill defensive circuit has given the MT defense a boost early in 2021
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Marley Cook remembers the play. Late in the second quarter, Monmouth was trying to put together a drive that could produce some points before the half, or at least get the Hawks off the field without any more damage following MT's touchdown off of their fumble the previous drive.
The Blue Raider defense is running Okie, a three down linemen front where Cook is the only interior lineman on the play. Hawk running back Owen Wright takes a handoff up the middle.
"As soon as I shed off the guy, I tackled him and I tried to rip it out," Cook said. "You can strip the ball out by holding the elbow and pulling on the ball. Or you can hold the elbow and move the hand. Just use your technique to make yourself successful."
"It was kind of textbook," defensive line coach Tommy West said. "He stripped the hand and got the elbow out."
The ball bounced out of Wright's hand onto the turf of Floyd Stadium, where Jordan Ferguson quickly pounced on it. Two plays later, Bailey Hockman hit a wide open Jaylin Lane to put MT up two scores.
It was a microcosm of what went well for Middle Tennessee last Saturday, when the Blue Raiders nabbed four takeaways and converted all of them into touchdowns in a 50-15 rout of Monmouth.
But this year's team will tell you the success the defense had in forcing turnovers was no mere fluke: it was the product of a program designed to reinforce those fundamentals every single day, to put the team in the position to make those plays when the opportunity arises.
The Turnover Circuit
"We spent an enormous amount of time since January, our winter workout program, of stripping, trying to create, spring practice, every day in August, all the different turnover drills," head coach Rick Stockstill said after the win on Saturday. "So we've spent a ton of time on it, at every position."
After the 2020 season, the Blue Raider coaching staff was disappointed in the team's turnover output over the nine games they played, ranking in the bottom half of the FBS in turnover margin at the end of year. Turnovers can have some luck involved, the other quarterback usually has to make a bad throw and/or decision on an interception for instance. But West thinks that attributing all turnovers to luck is a bit of a cop-out for coaches.
"Some coaches will say 'well some years you get them, some years you don't,'" West said. "I don't know if I believe that. I think you can work and try to create turnovers."
How? Technique, technique, technique. As the 2021 team found out through winter workouts and into fall camp this offseason.
The defensive staff devised a trio of drills each position group would go through at the start of each practice. Two different strip drills designed to reinforce the best methods to force fumbles. One involves making a tackle and forcing the ball out through manipulating the offensive player's arm to jar the ball loose, the other works on a "punch out" technique best used when approaching a ball carrier from the side. And finally, an interception drill focuses on getting reps of reacting to a ball thrown your direction while in coverage, and making the catch as you move toward the ball.
It's a simple set of drills, and can even look a bit funny at times when the defensive line group ends up at the interception station. But each drill does a good job of replicating game situations, making the opportunities when they open much easier to execute for defenders.
"Once we're in that moment, it's just like muscle memory," linebacker Johnathan Butler said. "All we've got to do is what we've been doing at practice."
Getting the technique right is just one part of the equation, of course. Stockstill pointed out that getting a lead on Saturday made Monmouth more predictable and one-dimensional, which was key in getting Teldrick Ross in the right call for his pick-6. West says that bigger picture defensive line play (leverage points, keeping guys on your inside hip, knowing where to run, etc.) play a big part in putting guys in good situations.
But while a one-game sample size is nothing to write home about, the focus in practice and the buy-in from this year's Blue Raiders has already provided great dividends to this year's team. And with the circuit continuing to be a part of the beginning of every practice, it's something that players are confident will continue to yield results.
"We preach it," Jordan Ferguson said. "Coach Shafer wants to get three turnovers every single game. He said, if we get three turnovers, we have a 91 percent chance to win the game. We got four (Saturday), so that's 99 percent. So we're gonna keep trying."
The Blue Raider defense is running Okie, a three down linemen front where Cook is the only interior lineman on the play. Hawk running back Owen Wright takes a handoff up the middle.
"As soon as I shed off the guy, I tackled him and I tried to rip it out," Cook said. "You can strip the ball out by holding the elbow and pulling on the ball. Or you can hold the elbow and move the hand. Just use your technique to make yourself successful."
"It was kind of textbook," defensive line coach Tommy West said. "He stripped the hand and got the elbow out."
The ball bounced out of Wright's hand onto the turf of Floyd Stadium, where Jordan Ferguson quickly pounced on it. Two plays later, Bailey Hockman hit a wide open Jaylin Lane to put MT up two scores.
It was a microcosm of what went well for Middle Tennessee last Saturday, when the Blue Raiders nabbed four takeaways and converted all of them into touchdowns in a 50-15 rout of Monmouth.
But this year's team will tell you the success the defense had in forcing turnovers was no mere fluke: it was the product of a program designed to reinforce those fundamentals every single day, to put the team in the position to make those plays when the opportunity arises.
The Turnover Circuit
"We spent an enormous amount of time since January, our winter workout program, of stripping, trying to create, spring practice, every day in August, all the different turnover drills," head coach Rick Stockstill said after the win on Saturday. "So we've spent a ton of time on it, at every position."
After the 2020 season, the Blue Raider coaching staff was disappointed in the team's turnover output over the nine games they played, ranking in the bottom half of the FBS in turnover margin at the end of year. Turnovers can have some luck involved, the other quarterback usually has to make a bad throw and/or decision on an interception for instance. But West thinks that attributing all turnovers to luck is a bit of a cop-out for coaches.
"Some coaches will say 'well some years you get them, some years you don't,'" West said. "I don't know if I believe that. I think you can work and try to create turnovers."
How? Technique, technique, technique. As the 2021 team found out through winter workouts and into fall camp this offseason.
The defensive staff devised a trio of drills each position group would go through at the start of each practice. Two different strip drills designed to reinforce the best methods to force fumbles. One involves making a tackle and forcing the ball out through manipulating the offensive player's arm to jar the ball loose, the other works on a "punch out" technique best used when approaching a ball carrier from the side. And finally, an interception drill focuses on getting reps of reacting to a ball thrown your direction while in coverage, and making the catch as you move toward the ball.
It's a simple set of drills, and can even look a bit funny at times when the defensive line group ends up at the interception station. But each drill does a good job of replicating game situations, making the opportunities when they open much easier to execute for defenders.
"Once we're in that moment, it's just like muscle memory," linebacker Johnathan Butler said. "All we've got to do is what we've been doing at practice."
Getting the technique right is just one part of the equation, of course. Stockstill pointed out that getting a lead on Saturday made Monmouth more predictable and one-dimensional, which was key in getting Teldrick Ross in the right call for his pick-6. West says that bigger picture defensive line play (leverage points, keeping guys on your inside hip, knowing where to run, etc.) play a big part in putting guys in good situations.
But while a one-game sample size is nothing to write home about, the focus in practice and the buy-in from this year's Blue Raiders has already provided great dividends to this year's team. And with the circuit continuing to be a part of the beginning of every practice, it's something that players are confident will continue to yield results.
"We preach it," Jordan Ferguson said. "Coach Shafer wants to get three turnovers every single game. He said, if we get three turnovers, we have a 91 percent chance to win the game. We got four (Saturday), so that's 99 percent. So we're gonna keep trying."
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