It seems like a long time ago when thinking of Kirby Smart’s first season in Athens as Georgia’s head coach.
That year had its share of ups and downs. There was the good of the season-opening win against UNC and big rivalry win against Auburn. But there were also the struggle victories over Nicholls and Mizzou as well as losses to Georgia Tech and a two-game string against Vanderbilt and Florida.
As has been well-documented, that season, even in its lulls, set the stage for what would come in 2017
and beyond. And when it comes to the folk-hero status of Rodrigo Blankenship, it got kick-started on a November evening in Lexington, Ky.
Coming into that early November game, Georgia needed a jolt, having lost three of four, including a heartbreaker to Tennessee and a one-point loss to Vanderbilt. In the midst of all that, a trip to Kentucky and its colder than most SEC places in November climate called.
Going into that game, Georgia had settled in on Rodrigo Blankenship as placekicker, at the time a walk-on. He helped Georgia lead 10-7 that night on an early field goal before the Dawgs got in a higher offensive gear late. Georgia moved the ball at success against the Blue Cats, rolling up more than 400 yards. That effort, however, was slowed by three turnovers, and it helped UK lead 21-13 early in the third quarter before Blankenship booted a 49-yarder to trim the Kentucky lead to 21-16.
Georgia put itself in position to win in the fourth, driving 67 yards to lead 24-21 on a 26-yard Sony Michel run before the placekickers took over with some heroics. First, Kentucky’s Austin MacGinnis tied it at 24-24 with 2:47 left thanks to Georgia’s defense holding the Wildcats to a field goal.
That was ample time for the Dawgs to drive down field, taking it 67 yards before Blankenship drilled a 25-yarder of his own with time running out, giving Georgia the win.
Winning was one thing, but within moments, “Hot Rod” became known for more than that, doing a post-game interview wearing his spectacles and with his helmet still on.
From that point on, a folk hero was born. If you didn’t respect the specs before, you did from that moment going forward..and it made player intros in Athens a…no pun intended, a spectacle.
The latter parts of 2016 set the tone for 2017 with the likes of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel deciding to stay one more year. But one of the elements that would also galvanize the Bulldog Nation, “Hot Rod Mania,” also does not happen without the final run of that season, and it all got put into overdrive that night for Blankenship, who early the next season would shed the walk-on label.
Go Dawgs!
