Kirby Smart explains decision not to attempt game-winning field goal in regulation
By Adam Spencer
Published:
After South Carolina missed a field goal late in the fourth quarter, the Georgia Bulldogs had time to move down the field and get into range for their own kicker, Rodrigo Blankenship.
However, it wasn’t meant to be, as Blankenship never got a chance to attempt the long game-winning field goal. Instead, the Georgia offense stayed on the field.
That decision made many Georgia fans angry, and after the game, coach Kirby Smart explained his thinking. He said the plan was to try to pick up 5 more yards, but a costly delay of game penalty pushed them out of Blankenship’s range:
“We were gonna work the sideline and get him 5 more yards. The penalty killed us. We lost the play and the yards.”
-Kirby Smart on end of regulation decisions
Rod told us postgame he told coaches pregame the 35 yard line was his threshold on that side. Had the wind. @WJBFSports pic.twitter.com/zXJWykyAve— Brendan Robertson (@BrendanWJBF) October 12, 2019
That note at the end of the tweet is interesting, as the Dawgs were still a few yards away from the 35-yard line. It would have been close to a 60-yard kick from Blankenship.
Either way, Georgia lost in double overtime. Now, the Dawgs need to regroup and try to get the season back on track next weekend.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
