Football uses turnovers to identify itself as a defensive unit
The second quarter was just getting underway with the Central Michigan football team trailing 7-3 to Kentucky, who had the ball on CMU’s 36-yard line.
Junior defensive back Xavier Crawford didn’t know he would have the chance to make a play, but he wanted to change the momentum of the game.
On second down and six, Kentucky’s quarterback Terry Wilson dropped back to pass and was flushed out of the pocket. Crawford was defending a Wildcat receiver when he read Wilson’s eyes.
“I thought to myself ‘I know he’s going to throw this (way)’,” Crawford said. “I just stayed sprinting with the receiver and the ball was out there so I cut the route and got it.
“It felt really good to get that (interception), but if I get more it will feel even better.”
It was one of the four turnovers the Chippewas produced in the 35-20 loss against the Wildcats on Saturday. But this isn’t new territory for CMU.
In fact, it’s becoming quite familiar. Last season, the Chippewas finished second in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision with 31 turnovers behind only Wyoming.
It’s all becoming apart of how the Chippewa defense identifies themselves — a turnover prided unit.
“We talk about it a lot and our guys really bought into it last year,” said defensive coordinator Greg Colby. “They fed off of it and it has bled over into this year because most of those guys are back. We don’t make any magic happen with how we preach it, it’s just how they look at it and how they get after it.”
Along with Crawford, sophomore defensive back Gage Kreski also recorded an interception. The other two turnovers were a pair of fumbles, one recovered by senior defensive lineman Sean Adesanya and the other by redshirt freshman Devonni Reed who returned it for a 20-yard touchdown. At the time, that score gave CMU its largest lead at 17-7.
“Mike Danna was the first guy to (the ball carrier) and Brisson-Fast was the second guy and they are all going after the ball,” said head coach John Bonamego. “Devonni made a very special play and it’s like having an extra possession. It’s monumental to the rest of the game.”
Bonamego went on to say he did a study two years ago where he looked at team’s who made the Mid-American Conference title game to see what statistic bolstered them to that point.
The one common denominator every time — turnover ratio.
“There hasn’t been anybody in that game ranked lower than third in turnover ratio in our conference,” Bonamego said. “We’ve preached it since day one. CMU has always been known for good defenses and this bunch really puts emphasis on making turnovers.”
In honor of Derrick Nash — a defensive back for CMU who died of a two-year battle with cancer in 2015 — the team takes footballs for turnovers they get and fill up a case in the shape of his No. 21. The player who made the turnover gets their name on the ball.
“Last season, we filled that up no problem,” Bonamego said.
Senior linebacker Trevor Apsey wore the honorary No. 21 Nash jersey in the team’s opening game against Kentucky. He recorded seven tackles.
“We work on it in practice all of the time with a lot of ball drills and stuff,” Apsey said. “I think it’s really just the mentality we have to make turnovers.”
Crawford said the whole defense competes against each other for gaining turnovers, but the defensive backs have their own challenges.
“We go beyond just turnovers,” Crawford said. “It could be strips, touchdowns or whatever. A lot of us defensive backs feel like we should be on offense. "
