Georgia Football: 5 Reasons the Bulldogs will beat South Carolina

“Goggles”

Rodrigo Blankenship is one of college football’s best kickers. In high school, Blankenship had opportunities to play at other schools, but instead, he decided to take a preferred walk-on offer to the Georgia team. A preferred walk-on means the player has a spot on the team, but needs to pay their own way until they can earn an athletic scholarship. Blankenship is from Marietta, Georgia and knew he wanted to play for the Bulldogs.

Last year, Blankenship earned a scholarship, and proved he was worth every bit of it. He hit a game winner against Notre Dame and saved the Bulldog’s season early on right after being told he was going to be put on scholarship. But, that was not necessarily his biggest kick of the season. Blankenship crushed a 55 yard field goal before the end of the first half against Oklahoma in the 2018 Rose Bowl. Not only was that a Rose Bowl record, but it also gave Georgia the momentum they needed heading into halftime.

Blankenship connected on his lone field goal attempt in the Bulldogs’ first game of the season. For Georgia, knowing you have a kicker who can be relied upon to make kicks, and has proven capable in the big moment, is incredibly valuable.

Additionally, Georgia has a great punter. Jake Camarda averaged 55 yards on three punts in their Week 1 game. For a college punter, a 55 yard average is impressive and among the best in the nation. Having a quality punter and coverage team is essential for winning the field position battle and will be relevant for their game against South Carolina.

For the Gamecocks, their kicking game is much more questionable. Redshirt sophomore, Parker White, is the starting kicker for South Carolina. White made only 14 of his 25 attempts last year. Missing nearly half of the kicks he attempts will be unacceptable in a game where South Carolina needs every point available in order to win.