Georgia’s special teams woes have been well documented this season. The Bulldogs’ have lost games in part due to ineptitudes in that aspect of play, and it became a major problem for first-year head coach Kirby Smart.

Against Kentucky, Georgia still did not play a clean game on special teams. A muffed punt by Isaiah McKenzie in the second quarter sapped the Bulldogs’ growing momentum and allowed the Wildcats to take a 14-10 lead on the ensuing possession.

While it wasn’t a perfect game, one member of Georgia’s special teams was flawless: kicker Rodrigo Blankenship.

The Bulldogs would not have earned a victory in Lexington had it not been for Blankenship, who made all four of his field goal attempts, including a 49-yarder and the game-winning 25-yard kick.

Immediately following the game, Smart summed it up thusly, “We got a damn good field-goal kicker right there.”

Blankenship, a redshirt freshman, did not start the season as Georgia’s preferred kicking option, that honor belonged to redshirt sophomore William Ham. Early struggles from Ham, however, left the position in flux and Blankenship answered the bell and claimed the job.

After missing his first field goal attempt of the season, a 36-yarder in the second quarter at Ole Miss, Blankenship has made nine consecutive field goals and proven himself capable of making kicks under pressure.

This emergence hasn’t surprised Smart, who told reporters that his kicker has been steadily improving in practice.

“I’m proud of Rodrigo; I’m so happy for him because the kid works so hard,” Smart said at his postgame press conference. “I mean, he hits those in practice. Lately, he’s been drilling those things in practice. So, that’s why we’re willing to put him out there.”

Smart’s confidence in Blankenship allowed him to be patient in a game that required nothing less. Georgia’s offense moved the football consistently in the middle of the field but struggled as it neared the goal line.

Earlier this year, Smart often opted to go for it on fourth down instead of sending out his field goal unit to attempt a kick. One such decision could have cost the Bulldogs on Saturday night, but Blankenship allowed them to chip away at Kentucky’s lead. Each decision to take the points instead of try for a fourth-down conversion placed Georgia in position to win the game as time expired.

That final field goal was a new challenge for Blankenship, but he never flinched, even when Kentucky attempted to ice him with a timeout.

“Just do what I’ve been doing,” Blankenship told reporters after the game when asked about his thought process during that timeout. “Do the exact same thing, don’t change anything. Nothing changes after one timeout; it’s still the same kick, it’s still the same score. So just do the same thing over again.”

After the early season struggles from the field goal unit, many Georgia fans lamented the fact that there was not a scholarship kicker on the roster. It was yet another position that needed to be addressed on the recruiting trail.

Blankenship, a recruit out of Sprayberry High School in Marietta, came to Georgia with a good reputation and big potential. As he steadily improves, the coaching staff can now use that potential scholarship to help other pressing areas.

As the Bulldogs’ season continues, they are getting more impact performances from the young players on the roster. Jacob Eason led yet another clutch drive at the end of the game; Isaac Nauta already looks like one of the best tight ends in the SEC and underclassmen are producing at crucial moments on defense.

Kickers are often afterthoughts until moments like Saturday arise and the game is on the line. Like his fellow young Bulldogs, Blankenship showed tremendous poise and maturity in a critical situation.

He played a large role in helping Georgia earn a much-needed victory on the road, and provided yet another reason the future might not be so gloomy after all.