Memphis was one of the best teams in the country at producing takeaways in 2017.

The defense found plenty of motivation in the takeaway belt, a pro wrestling-style championship belt players bandied about on the sideline during games.

It didn’t take long for the Tigers to debut a new accessory in Saturday’s 66-14 win over Mercer.

Introducing, the Memphis turnover robe — a garment adorned with blue feathers, Siberian Tiger stripes and the words “takeaway champ” with the Memphis logo across the back.

The Tigers intercepted Mercer twice, one of which was taken to the house by defensive back TJ Carter.

Third-year Memphis coach Mike Norvell gave a nod to the proud professional wrestling tradition in the Bluff City following the game.

“We had the takeaway belt and so we mentioned (the turnover robe) to (defensive coordinator Chris Ball) and we fell in love with the idea,” Norvell said. “(Equipment manager Marc Hohorst) did a wonderful job in helping design it.

“Our guys are fired up about that. And to see we had some guys to put it on tonight was definitely more exciting. We want to celebrate that. To have a couple of game-changing plays, it was fun to see.”

Carter said the flashy robe was introduced to the defense a couple of days before Saturday’s opener.

“We were fired up about it,” he said.

Wide receiver Damonte Coxie smiled when asked if he thought the offense deserves an incentive that could rival the turnover robe.

“We should get something,” he said. “I don’t know what it would be. We’re going to have to talk to coach Norvell about that one.”

Bartlett resident Carrie Rudy said she was approached by Hohorst before the season to create the robe.

"To be honest, I had no idea who Ric Flair was,” she said. “While I’m talking to (Hohorst), I was Googling. But I approached it like anything else. It was also the first time I’ve worked with feathers. So that was a little challenging.

“I didn’t see it on TV. I was watching it on a friend’s phone at dinner. I did see it blow up on Twitter, which is insane.”

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