Two Keys: Week 6 Edition

This week the Dawgs will travel to Neyland Stadium to face the struggling Volunteers after an emotional win against a tough LSU team. One thing is for certain, I will be cheering for Bama because I don't want to see LSU again! So what must the Dawgs do this week to avoid a major letdown against the Vols? Well, if you read my last post discussing the occasional poor play by UGA against the Vols in Knoxville, I will try to uncover why. Here is the breakdown of UGA vs UT for the past 6 games separated by WINS and LOSSES.

RESULT	UGA Pass Yds	UGA Rush Yds	UT Pass Yds	UT Rush Yds	Turnovers	Takeaways	Possession Time
Wins	270	176	260	47	1.25	1.75	34:25
Losses	163	79	265	176	2	0.5	25:00

You can see that the major difference is yet again RUSHING! In the past 4 wins, the Dawgs have averaged 176 yards rushing versus Tennessee's 47. All of these wins came with >100 yards in each game. When you look at the losses, this trend is reversed with Tennessee having gained an average of 176 yards versus the Dawgs' 79 yards. The only 3 times UT has broken 100 yards were the two losses and last year's close game. This is also reflected in the time of possession with UGA average almost 10 more minutes in the wins. The other stat that stands out is also not a shocker. The 4:1 Turnover to Takeaway margin in the losses! So my keys to the game are again pretty simple: 1. Run the damn ball! UGA really shouldn't have much trouble running the ball against Tennessee. I suspect the Vols will try to take the run away from us, but we can't abandon it. As long as they know we will try to run it, we can score almost at will through the air. Having said that, we also have to take away Raijon Neal. I think our defense has actually played pretty well against the run the past few games. I think we can sell out on the run and as long as we are getting pressure to the QB. I don't think he is good enough to place accurate passes with a blitz in his face. 2. Hold onto the damn ball! Again, I think a major force in UGA losing games the past few years has been mistakes. UT isn't good enough to beat UGA without help. That help will come in the form of easy points from turnovers and special teams mistakes. I think UGA should have no trouble pulling this one out. If they can hold onto the ball and impose their strength on UT, they should cruise. I can see them being a little hungover from their first few games, but I don't think Murray is going to let his team sleep on this one. Hopefully they end this one by halftime...I have had enough nail-biters for now!