Countdown to College Football Kickoff 2015, Day 20: No Tackling Dummy
Our countdown to the 2015 college football kickoff has reached 20 days, and one of the biggest parts of the game of football is tackling. Nobody did it more in one game than Arkansas State safety, Tyrell Johnson.
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When you watch football, one of the things that will most certainly be a determining factor in the outcome of the game is tackling. Good or back, tackling can make or break a team’s success on the field.
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Typically leading tacklers on teams come from the linebacker group, as they are the first line of defense after the defensive line (no pun intended), and find themselves chasing both running backs and receivers.
But on November 26, 2005, a member of the Arkansas State secondary set a single-game FBS record for tackles, laying members of the North Texas Mean Green to the turf 20 times during the game as well as adding five assisted tackles, and he did this as a safety against a team that primarily runs a spread or option attack.
That game came in the midst of what was Johnson’s best season as a member of the Red Wolves, when he racked up 112 tackles (an incredible 83 solo), along with two interceptions and a forced fumble on the year.
The 6-foot, 205 pound Johnson finished his college career having played in 46 total games — starting all of them — and carrying a Sun Belt Conference record 363 tackles, 13 interceptions, and four forced fumbles. He also holds the Sun Belt records for interception return yards in a season (142).
Johnson’s career after Arkansas State never really took off, despite being drafted in the second round by the Minnesota Vikings, but he holds a college football record that will be difficult to top.
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