Hurricanes Turnover Chain Psyching Out Opponents, Says Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz

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CORAL GABLES (CBSMiami) - The Miami Hurricanes' turnover chain has caught the attention of the national media, brought fans together, and brought haters out of the woodwork.

To Miami's players, the quest to put on the chain after an interception or fumble recovery has proven effective as a motivational tool.

"There's no doubt it does seem like it has an effect," said defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. "For whatever reason, when we get the first one, it seems like the second one is not too far off."

But what effect, if any, does the turnover chain have on Miami's opponents? Diaz theorizes that the chain could actually take a psychological toll on the opposition.

"It feels almost that it has a similar effect in the negative way to the other team," noted Diaz. "All week, it's probably such a major point of emphasis for them to not turn the ball over. They talk about how they're not gonna turn it over against us, and then all the sudden, when a turnover occurs, it seems like they are suffering a let down as much as we are benefitting from a boost by getting our first turnover of the game. They've obviously been coming in bunches."

Diaz added: "It just feels like when a team turns the ball over the first time in a game, it gets better for us and worse for them from there."

Miami has forced 24 turnovers on the year and sits second nationally at a plus-15 turnover margin.

For individual turnover stats, you can check out our TURNOVER CHAIN TRACKER.