When former Sprayberry football star Rodrigo Blankenship kicked a 55-yard field goal for the Georgia Bulldogs near the end of the first half on New Year’s Day against Oklahoma, it did more than set a Rose Bowl record.
Those points helped the Bulldogs recover from a 17-point deficit as they defeated the Sooners 54-48 in double overtime in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
It was a game, as one sportswriter covering the came called it, “flat-out bonkers,” and Blankenship played a vital role.
In the national championship game next Monday against Alabama, Blankenship and UGA will be playing very close to home, at the new Mercedes Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta.
Blankenship, who also starred for the Yellow Jackets in soccer during his days at Sprayberry, was an all-county and all-state placekicker and punter under former coach Billy Shackelford.
But he initially was a walk-on at Georgia, and finally was awarded a full athletic scholarship earlier this season, after he kicked the decisive field goal for the Bulldogs in a 20-19 win over Notre Dame.
A sophomore, Blankenship’s previous longest field goal was from 49 yards out this season against Mississippi State. His longest field goal in high school was a 56-yarder.
He’s also become something of a cult figure on social media, notable for the thick, nerdy-looking glasses he wears under his helmet while playing.
The Twitter account for Men in Blazers, a national soccer TV program hosted by two sardonic British expatriates, posted several times during the game and included photos of Blankenship playing soccer for Sprayberry (also while wearing glasses):
RODRIGO BLANKESHIP World Cup 2022 🇺🇸👊 pic.twitter.com/2MP1zJuBhM
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) January 1, 2018
YOU CAN’T SPELL CHAMPIONSHIP WITHOUT “BLANKENSHIP” pic.twitter.com/7kWGWiNsGG
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) January 2, 2018
On his personal website, Blankenship has included soccer information while he was at Sprayberry. He graduated in 2015 and enrolled at UGA, redshirting that year, and was an all-freshman SEC team selection last year.
This season, he has made 16 of 19 field goal attempts, including the Rose Bowl, and was voted one of the most improved UGA players on special teams.
After the Rose Bowl, Blankenship talked about his record-setting kick and Georgia’s memorable win:
