Defense Playing with a Swagger on the Field, Looking to Earn the Accessory to Match off the Field

Image: Indiana Athletcs

Written by: Nate Comp (@NathanComp1)

The concept of a turnover accessory has grown in popularity ever since Miami debuted the “turnover chain” back in 2017. The Hurricanes have always been known for their flash, iconic teams, and signature swagger. The idea was quickly copied by other programs, as all great ideas are, and is now a staple across all of college football. Turn on any college football game on a Saturday and you are sure to see a celebratory accessory on the sidelines, from Kennesaw State’s Plank, to Boise State’s “King of Chaos” thrown, or even UNLV’s “Rebel Roller” as a reference to Vegas’ gambling roots.

But the Hoosier football program has a pretty special one this season that has made national headlines of its own – a legitimate WWE belt, gifted to the Indiana program by Vince McMahon, the former CEO and current executive chairman of WWE.

Vince is the grandfather of walk-on Declan McMahon, a running back who joined the team last season and a vital member of the offensive scout team.

“You know, that's something that -- actually Noah [Pierre] came to me over the summer, and he was kind of the spearhead of it,” said Tom Allen on Monday. “He got with Declan McMahon and obviously we've got the WWE connection with that. It's pretty cool. When they brought it to me, I was like, holy smokes; it's legit. It's heavy. It's big.”

Through two games, the Indiana defense has been able to force a takeaway in each. Both times, the players sprinted to the sidelines not only to celebrate with their teammates and coaching staff, but also to find and pose with the takeaway belt. Tom Allen has always preached the importance of takeaways in his defensive philosophy and celebrated them accordingly, but there seems to be an added excitement this season.

“The guys love it,” Allen continued. “That's just another way to have some fun with it. But more than anything, as you guys know since I've been here, it's a huge emphasis, takeaways on defense. That's how you win games. The guys enjoy it, without question, and it is a pretty cool little thing.”

Nic Toomer secured his first interception of the season in the win against Indiana State this past weekend and ran to the sideline to find the belt – only to realize it had been left behind in the locker room.

“That was the first thing you look for, obviously, but they had a miscommunication with the turnover belt, it was in the locker room,” said Toomer.

When asked whose responsibility it is to bring that out, Toomer jokingly responded, “I don’t know, we’re going to handle that after the game.”

Expect to see no further mishaps with locating the takeaway belt, but continued excitement surrounding the belt, as the season rolls on.