The touchback may be among the most boring plays in football, but it was a beautiful thing for the Georgia Bulldogs during last Saturday’s 41-17 triumph at South Carolina.
Georgia redshirt junior Rodrigo Blankenship had seven kickoff opportunities inside Williams-Brice Stadium, and seven times he blasted the ball deep into the end zone. Gamecocks return specialist Deebo Samuel opened last year with kickoff returns for touchdowns in each of the first two games, but he was helpless last weekend as Blankenship repeatedly put the ball out of play.
“He’s been incredible, to be honest with you,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said this week in a news conference. “I think our special teams staff does a tremendous job of making sure he’s fresh. He does a tremendous job of taking care of his body, and it’s shown in the last two games with the power and drive consistently.
“He just continues to pound the ball and does a great job doing it.”
To describe the 6-foot-1, 191-pounder from the Atlanta suburb of Marietta as fantastic so far this season would still be an understatement. Through Georgia’s 45-0 opening win over Austin Peay and last week’s victory against the Gamecocks, he’s been perfect.