kelin's keys to the game

Turnover Turnaround Needed!

1. Turnovers…Turnovers…Turnovers are what hurt UGA in last week’s game. They didn’t get enough of them and gave too many up! The Dawgs have to win the turnover battle!

2. Offense needs to get Murray back in the swing of things. Giving him a solid running game will help the passing game and continue to build his confidence.

3. Have fun.. It’s not a huge game against the Idaho State Bengals at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, but the Dawgs need to win two of the next three games in order to be Bowl-eligible. Hard hits, long runs, and bodies flying around on defense.. Making big plays is what UGA needs right now coming off the loss to Florida and will be a huge boost looking ahead to the undefeated Auburn Tigers!

On Kelin Keepin’ It Real Radio this week:

Gil Tyree will be checking in with us from Tallahassee, where FSU hosts UNC.

And UGA great Boss Bailey will be stopping by to talk with me about UGA football.

So check us out at 11 AM EST on Voice America Sports and right here on kelinjohnson.com.

Kelin’s Keys to the Game

Tempo Tempo Tempo ! This UK team has a fast-paced offense…can UGA keep up?

1. Can UGA match the tempo of UK? Kentucky’s coming off a big win against USC in the fourth quarter. Cobb is their best player and he’s all over the field for them. UK moves the football down the field really well with Cobb–he plays QB, WR, and RB. Georgia defense has to be on top of his whereabouts at all times…otherwise he will burn them.

2. Georgia offense has to help their defense out during this game with long drives that eat up the clock. More rest for the defense and less chances for the UK offense to hit the field. Murray has been lights out so far. If he can keep it up with the weapons around him, the Dogs should come out with a win.

3. UGA has one of the Top Special Teams in the country, It’s time for them to show up. Big time plays in the kicking game this weekend are a must.

I know we’ve all been celebrating last week’s win against UT…but in order to keep the momentum going, Georgia’s going to have to be focused and consistent.  Here are my Kelin’s Keys to the Game:

1. Passing the ball against Vandy will spread their defense. Their CB can’t match up with UGA’s WR. They need to find the right wideout that has the advantage over the CB.

2. Defense has to play like junk yard dawgs once again. Boss Bailey gave the team a speech before the game and it really helped. If this D can keep the crowd on their side by have big hits and a lot of turnovers, they will be in great shape!

3. Playing together as a team. Helping each other when things don’t go right! Staying positive when something bad happens like a turnover or a score!

This team has its back against the wall right now and all they have is themselves– that’s what matters and nothing else.  Once they realize that, they will be a better team.

Kelin’s Key’s to the Game VS UT Volunteers.

It’s Tenn week and it’s a must win for the Dawgs! Both of these teams are coming off bad losses in the fourth quarter, which means they both want pay back.

1. AJ Green: Get the ball into this guys hands. That’s going to be name of this game. Tenn hasn’t seen a WR yet this season that can make plays the way this man can.

He will receive a lot of double teams in tomorrow’s game. Murray has to see the match ups across the field and take advantage of them.

2. B. Smith will be out again for this game due to a head injury. Somebody has to step up in his place for special teams. I am looking for UGA to blow the top off tomorrow with their special teams plays. AJ Green can be thrown into the mix. Rambo or even Rantavious Wooten can return the ball for the Dawgs.

3. Defense, Defense, Defense: The UGA defense that I know has to show up ready to play! If not, their rank in the SEC East will be up in the air. This is a huge game for Georgia and they can turn things around with aggressive plays on defense. Sim is a young QB and they can take him out of his element by putting pressure on him in the back field.

A win for the Dawgs will create a 1-1 record in the SEC EAST. That’s not bad at all. There is still hope for the Dawgs to turn this season around and bring joy back into this Dawg Nation!

So Join Me tomorrow on the radio, on the phone, or in person and Shout Out Your Support for Our Dawgs.

The Bulldogs head to Colorado to go up against the Buffaloes on Saturday.  The Dawgs are the second SEC team ever to visit.  It may not be a conference match-up, but it’s as good a chance as ever to add a second W to this season.

Here are my FOUR Keys to this game.
1. Leadership is key in this game. Times are hard right now for the
Dawgs. Leaders of this team have to come together and keep this team
united when things do not go their way in this ball game. A true
leader is born in times of need.

2. AJ Green is back this game!  UGA has to put the ball in his hands.
He is the best player in college football. He has fresh legs and plus
the young man is humbled now and ready for the ball to be in his
hands. He’s a game changer and Georgia has to create opportunities for
him.

3. The offensive line has to push up front. UGA’s running backs are
ready to have that break out game on the ground. King, Thomas, and
Ealey have the skills to make big plays, but the men up front have to
help them.

4. The defense has fought hard in a lot of close games but hasn’t
been able to finish! Confidence is a must for the defense. This unit
has to gain confidence in each other first in order to win this game.
With confidence UGA will win the turnover battle because they all will
be playing as one!

This edition of Kelin Johnson Sports News Direct is dedicated to the Bulldog players who are facing the harsh reality of losses the hurt. 

Hear it in their own words:

1. The less the defense sees of the field, the better. Arkansas has the best QB in the nation and intimidating, skilled receivers. Don’t forget the shootout last year between Joe Cox and Ryan M.and UGA had AJ Green that game!

2. Field position will play a huge role in this game. Special teams have to show up and establish great field position to enable the offense. Brandon Smith may be out for Saturday’s game and that will hurt UGA. So who will Georgia turn to?

3. Defense has to make stops. “No YAC” (yards after catch.) This is something that the Defense can use to motivate itself against a tough opponent. The ultimate goal is to tackle the WR as soon as he catches the ball so he can not advance!

Coming Soon: New Season of Kelin

South Carolina definitely had the momentum in the first half…and the Gamecocks continued to stay motivated and they keep their advantage. They dominated the Georgia’s defensive line. The 17-6 final is a number that stings.

Usually if you win a turnover battle, you win the game, but that wasn’t the case.
SC controlled the clock and that was the key in this victory.

When it comes to an SEC East game, it comes down to which defense plays better. And clearly South Carolina’s defense was hungrier than Georgia’s when it came down to making a play.
SC offensive line dominated Georgia’s defensive line of scrimmage all day…and one of my Kelin’s Keys to the Game said that the team that dominated the line of scrimmage would win the game—and that is now a fact.

On Defense, my hat goes off to Justin Houston for his amazing efforts and relentless attitude to sack the QB and make plays for Georgia.

Georgia has to go back to the drawing board and really work on making a statement in the SEC games…they cannot lose anymore SEC East games. This puts even more pressure on Georgia to make a statement and come out with a win against the Arkansas Razorbacks, with the number one quarterback in the nation. So that would make a statement, if they can stop the Razorbacks in Athens, GA next week.
SC came out and physically beat Georgia from the first play of the game—the good thing is that college football is all about the next game and second chances.
For Aaron Murray, it was a very hostile environment for him to go out in the second half to manage. He grew up today in Columbia. He learned a lot from being on the road, for what it takes to be a QB in the he moved the ball down the field. He didn’t panic. Unfortunately, Washaun Early’s fumble on the 5 yard line ended a great drive which gave the momentum back to SC. And once the momentum, switched back, Georgia couldn’t get it back.

Tune in Monday at 10 PM on The Dawg Report on CSS for more of my KEYS to this game and a look ahead to next week when we go up against Arizona.

Possession Time

Georgia  24:45

South Carolina  35:15 

Conclusion of Four Part Special Report on KelinJohnson.com

Fundamentals: It Starts with Recruiting

With two years–going on three–off of the football field, I have continued to learn about what it takes to win football games.  The years spent with Coach Van and his staff taught me a lot.  I have learned you don’t win games in the weight room.  Bottom line, you win games with football players.  And that starts from recruiting, continues with strength and conditioning and wraps up with that inner drive to be the best.  I asked Pollack about what he thinks we should be looking for in the recruitment process.

David Pollack

  “I’ll take 25 three star players with heart, passion, and leadership who want to be there every year, over four and five stars every time,” Pollack told me. “I was a three star. You’ve got to be getting leaders–that’s one of the problems. If you want to be the best, you have to get the guys that go above and beyond.”

Two good examples of guys who went the extra mile: Tra Battle and Andrew Williams both earned full rides after coming to UGA as walk-ons! Their hard work and long hours off the field helped them to be the best on the field!  And no doubt their hard work in the weight room with coach Van and his staff was a big part of what helped them rise to the top.

 So don’t get me wrong here…strength and speed play an important part in the game, but so much of it is mental.   The Boss Baileys, the David Greenes, the Tim Jennings, the Thomas Browns, the Odell Thurmans, the D.J. Shockleys, and guys like Tra Battle and Andrew Williams, all were damn good ballers.  Were they the biggest and strongest on the field?  Not necessarily, but they all had the traits of winners. They worked hard on and off of the field and did everything in their power to be the best and bring victory to UGA.  There was preparation meets opportunity and Coach Van and his staff can’t teach that.  Leadership and self-motivation were the keys to the success of these former Bulldogs.

Look, I know that it’s easy to point the fingers when things are going wrong.  It’s easy to blame the size, strength and conditioning of the UGA players.  But unless you’ve played in front of 92,000 fans in Sanford Stadium, it’s really difficult to truly understand the sacrifice, the heart, and blood, sweat and tears and the teamwork that goes into winning games and winning the love and respect of the Bulldog Nation. 

Physical strength, yah, it’s important…but mental strength is a game changer.

-Kelin Johson

KelinJohnson.com © 2010

Reasons for the Seasons

 You’ve got to look deep to see what really has gone on inside the locker room and inside the heads of the guys who are the team and have been the team over the past few seasons.

Here is my take.

2007

Me #30

My senior year at Georgia, we lost to South Carolina and Tennessee early in the season. So in the next SEC games, we knew we had to do better, because we’d just lost to two SEC East teams.  That season we went 11-2 and went to the Sugar Bowl.  My team also finished #2 in the nation, a contender to be in the National Championship game.  What we had that year was leadership.  Our captains were Fernando Velasco, now with the Tennessee Titans; Thomas Brown,  the great kicker Brandon Coutu and me.  Brandon and I both played for the Seattle Seahawks.  We had tremendous leadership that year and that’s what allowed us to achieve great things.

2008

The 2008 was great for a different reason—the players.  Lead by Knowshon Moreno in the backfield and Matthew Stafford under the center.  It was Mohammed Massaquoi’s senior year.  This was a team of playmakers who were going to get it done no matter what. UGA went 10-3 that year.  And we went to the best Bowl outside of the BCS, which was the Capital One Bowl,  finishing #10 in the Nation.  Talent made the difference that year.

2009

And 2009 was about the players, too.  Losing the players!  We lost first round draft picks– #24 Moreno to the Denver Broncos; and #7 Stafford to the Detroit Lions.   Then we lost Asher Allen on defense to the Minnesota Vikings.  And of course Massaquoi had graduated and moved on to play for the Cleveland Browns.   Stafford’s departure left Joe Cox to step up at QB, and he just didn’t have the experience needed to follow in Matthew’s footsteps.  The Georgia Bulldogs went 8-5 with a trip to the Music City Bowl that year.  This year’s player losses made it a completely different team from the previous year, and no amount of lifting and drills could make up for that. 

With two years–going on three–off of the football field, I have continued to learn about what it takes to win football games.  The years spent with Coach Van and his staff taught me a lot.  I have learned you don’t win games in the weight room.

UPDATE:    700 pounds Squat Record was broken yesterday (7/14)  by # 97 Brandon Wood  at 710 pounds.  Brandon Wood Put 680 pounds on his back and squatted it twice! And they say UGA football players are weak!

NEXT: Fundamentals: What It Takes to Win–Posting tomorrow