Turnover buckets and T-shirts: Gamecocks incentivizing turnovers in camp

The Gamecocks love turnovers so much they're creating interesting incentives for players who force fumbles or interceptions in practice.

They have a bucket the player who picks up a takeaway to dunk the ball in, labeled “Ballhawks,” and they give out T-shirts for any player to forces a turnover during team drills.

“That’s (defensive coordinator) T-Rob all day,” Mike Peterson said when asked whose idea the bucket was. “I think the kids are having fun with it. I love it when we get them, so it’s just another little token when they get an interception or a turnover to dunk it in the bucket.”

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Players get creative with their dunks with Sherrod Greene busting out a 360-degree windmill throw down in practice Thursday.

Skai Moore, who hasn’t gotten the chance to dunk yet, said he would go between the legs twice before hammering the ball home. He said he would finish it off with a LeBron James style silencer celebration.

Chris Lammons, who’s picked up a few interceptions this camp, says he prefers to stick to the fundamentals when it comes to dunking.

“I’ll be too tired,” he said, laughing. “I lay it in.”

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The team T-shirts, which also read “Ballhawks” are handed out after a turnover is forced, and there have been enough takeaways this camp that Moore said most of the defense has one.

All of this is in an effort to emphasize the importance of turnovers in Travaris Robinson’s defensive scheme.

“We talk about it everyday; we punch the ball out every day,” Moore said. “We have awards, shirts for our guys that punch the ball out all the time, get interceptions, get takeaways. That’s something we emphasize everyday.”

The Gamecocks ranked near the top of the SEC in turnover margin, finishing last year with a plus-seven margin. They were third in the league with 15 interceptions and fourth with 12 fumbles recovered.

“Turnovers are big, man. They can change the game. if you get a turnover early, you get the thing rolling in your favor,” Peterson said. “So getting turnovers early is really big. And even late in the game, it can seal the win for you or it could give you the go ahead.”

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Moore, who ranks third in school history with 11 interceptions, returns to the Gamecock defense that will be tasked with turning the ball over early and often.

“It’s definitely on my mind, and people come up to me all the time talking about it,” he said about the record. “But I’m just going to go out there, play my game, just do what I do and the plays will come to me.”

The Gamecocks will likely be preaching turnovers the rest of practice with lineman Taylor Stallworth saying the goal every day is to pick up three takeaways. For the most part, the team is picking up a bunch of takeaways.

Players are buying in, Peterson said, and the goal now shifts to perfecting the defense and picking up more turnovers.

“You’re pleased with it, but there’s always more. I’m one of those guys that if you’re playing good football, let’s go play great football,” Peterson said. “Let’s try to be great at everything we do. I think these kids are buying in right now. That’s the good thing about it.”