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Utes Insider - Former Defensive Back Robert Johnson
10/8/2020 12:35 PM | Football, General
(Episode 19 – October 8, 2020)
Utes Insider – Former defensive back Robert Johnson
An All-Mountain West Conference safety on Utah's 2008 Sugar Bowl team, Robert Johnson is now helping other former student-athletes as a professional development mentor. Johnson joins Mike Lageschulte on this edition of Utes Insider presented by Pepsi to look back at how he joined the Ute program as an under-recruited athlete from the junior college ranks, developed into an impact defensive player with 13 interceptions in three years at the U, and went on to play three years in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans.
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The podcast can be heard on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. All Utah Athletics podcasts are archived here.
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During the show, the Los Angeles native talks about how some of the challenges he faced early in life helped shape him into the person that he is today. Following his career at Fremont High School, Johnson became an honorable mention All-American defensive back at L.A. Southwest College in 2006. Johnson wasn't receiving much interest from Division I programs when former Utah coach Kalani Sitake was watching another player he was recruiting and saw Johnson in action. Sitake was so impressed with Johnson that he asked him to make an on-campus visit to Utah that December.
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When Johnson joined the Utes in 2007, he spent time at both wide receiver and defensive back during fall camp before settling in on the defensive side. He made an immediate impact. In Utah's third game of the 2007 season against No. 11 UCLA, Johnson was named the Bronco Nagurski National Defensive Player of Week after recording two interceptions, a pass breakup, six tackles and a forced fumble into the end zone for a touchback in a 44-6 rout. On the year, he forced a team-high five turnovers with three interceptions and two forced fumbles as Utah went 9-4.
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During Utah's undefeated season in 2008, Johnson recorded 41 tackles, four interceptions and three pass breakups. In the fourth game of the season, the Utes had to come back for a road win at Air Force after a rough first half. Johnson shares a story about a heated exchange between the defensive unit during that game which galvanized the group for the rest of the season.
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Johnson had some of his biggest plays at crucial times in 2008. He made a game-ending interception in Utah's 13-10 win over No. 11 TCU on Nov. 2 at Rice-Eccles Stadium to move Utah's record to 10-0. He had two picks in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama, giving the Utes their first ever win over a top-five-ranked team and vaulting them to No. 2 in the final Associated Press poll.
Johnson talks at length during the podcast about the Sugar Bowl match-up and how the Utes utilized speed to their advantage against a powerful Alabama team. Utah held the Crimson Tide, which entered the game averaging 196 rushing yards per game, to just 31 that night while sacking quarterback John Parker Wilson eight times.
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There have been a lot of comparisons over the years between Utah's 2004 and 2008 teams. Both earned invitations to the Bowl Championship Series, which preceded the College Football Playoff. The 2004 team utilized a high-powered offense behind quarterback Alex Smith, a Heisman Trophy finalist, to go 12-0 and win the Fiesta Bowl. In 2008, the Utes' defense held seven teams below 20 points as they won five games by a touchdown or less.
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Johnson was a fifth-round draft pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2010 and played with them through 2012. Johnson now resides in Salt Lake City and is a professional growth mentor with Northwestern Mutual, helping former college and professional athletes move on to the next phase of their lives.
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Utes Insider – Former defensive back Robert Johnson
An All-Mountain West Conference safety on Utah's 2008 Sugar Bowl team, Robert Johnson is now helping other former student-athletes as a professional development mentor. Johnson joins Mike Lageschulte on this edition of Utes Insider presented by Pepsi to look back at how he joined the Ute program as an under-recruited athlete from the junior college ranks, developed into an impact defensive player with 13 interceptions in three years at the U, and went on to play three years in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans.
Â
The podcast can be heard on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. All Utah Athletics podcasts are archived here.
Â
During the show, the Los Angeles native talks about how some of the challenges he faced early in life helped shape him into the person that he is today. Following his career at Fremont High School, Johnson became an honorable mention All-American defensive back at L.A. Southwest College in 2006. Johnson wasn't receiving much interest from Division I programs when former Utah coach Kalani Sitake was watching another player he was recruiting and saw Johnson in action. Sitake was so impressed with Johnson that he asked him to make an on-campus visit to Utah that December.
Â
When Johnson joined the Utes in 2007, he spent time at both wide receiver and defensive back during fall camp before settling in on the defensive side. He made an immediate impact. In Utah's third game of the 2007 season against No. 11 UCLA, Johnson was named the Bronco Nagurski National Defensive Player of Week after recording two interceptions, a pass breakup, six tackles and a forced fumble into the end zone for a touchback in a 44-6 rout. On the year, he forced a team-high five turnovers with three interceptions and two forced fumbles as Utah went 9-4.
Â
During Utah's undefeated season in 2008, Johnson recorded 41 tackles, four interceptions and three pass breakups. In the fourth game of the season, the Utes had to come back for a road win at Air Force after a rough first half. Johnson shares a story about a heated exchange between the defensive unit during that game which galvanized the group for the rest of the season.
Â
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Johnson had some of his biggest plays at crucial times in 2008. He made a game-ending interception in Utah's 13-10 win over No. 11 TCU on Nov. 2 at Rice-Eccles Stadium to move Utah's record to 10-0. He had two picks in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama, giving the Utes their first ever win over a top-five-ranked team and vaulting them to No. 2 in the final Associated Press poll.
Johnson talks at length during the podcast about the Sugar Bowl match-up and how the Utes utilized speed to their advantage against a powerful Alabama team. Utah held the Crimson Tide, which entered the game averaging 196 rushing yards per game, to just 31 that night while sacking quarterback John Parker Wilson eight times.
Â
There have been a lot of comparisons over the years between Utah's 2004 and 2008 teams. Both earned invitations to the Bowl Championship Series, which preceded the College Football Playoff. The 2004 team utilized a high-powered offense behind quarterback Alex Smith, a Heisman Trophy finalist, to go 12-0 and win the Fiesta Bowl. In 2008, the Utes' defense held seven teams below 20 points as they won five games by a touchdown or less.
Â
Johnson was a fifth-round draft pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2010 and played with them through 2012. Johnson now resides in Salt Lake City and is a professional growth mentor with Northwestern Mutual, helping former college and professional athletes move on to the next phase of their lives.
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