98 Days to Kickoff - Dawg Post Countdown
ATHENS - It was a soggy, sloppy day in Athens. But that didn’t stop Aaron Murray from accomplishing a career feat.
The senior QB at UGA, who was backed up to the two-yard line along with the rest of the No. 9 Bulldogs, dropped back into his own end zone and tossed his 100th career touchdown.. a 98-yard pass to Reggie Davis.
The Bulldogs ended up knocking out North Texas 45-21 on September 21, 2013.
Other notable 98s in the history of the Bulldogs…
The 98-yard drive against Vanderbilt in 1989
It was the first year of the Ray Goff Era at UGA, and the Bulldogs went on the road to take out Vanderbilt 35-16 on October 21, 1989 in Nashville. Leading 21-10 with 11:10 left in the third quarter, Greg Talley led the Bulldogs 98 yards on 3 plays in 1:15. Big play was 93-yard TD pass to Kevin Maxwell.
The 98-yard drive against Auburn in 2014
Todd Gurley returned from a four-game NCAA suspension to power No. 16 Georgia to a 34-7 blowout win over No. 9 Auburn in Athens on November 14, 2014. Gurley’s return to Sanford Stadium was the last game he would play for the Bulldogs after suffering an ACL late in the ball game. Gurley ended that contest with 29 carries for 138 yards and a TD. It also featured an 11- play, 98-yard drive in 6:34 capped by an 11-yard TD run by Nick Chubb.
Top UGA players to ever wear the No. 98
PK Rodrigo Blankenship
A former walk-on, the Cobb County native redshirted his first season at UGA before entering the 2016 season as the backup PK. Eventually Blankenship took over the starting kicking duties and earned SEC All-Freshman team after going 14x18 on field goals during the season. He converted the game-winning FG as time expired. A year later Blankenship kicked another game winner, this time on the road at Notre Dame. In the post-game celebration in the Bulldogs’ locker room he announced to the team that he had been given a scholarship. Perhaps Blankenship’s biggest kick of the 2017 season came against No. 2 Oklahoma in the 2018 Rose Bowl Game. Blankenship’s career-long 55-yard FG as time expired heading into the half of that contest gave the No. 3 Bulldogs momentum the rode into overtime, where Blankenship hit a 38-yard FG before the Bulldogs walked off with a thrilling double OT win.
Others: Josh Mallard