Baker Mayfield Still Bothered by Former UGA Football K Rodrigo Blankenship, Dawgs
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ATHENS - Former Oklahoma Sooners QB Baker Mayfield is still upset about what Kirby Smart’s UGA Football team did to him at the 2018 Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena.
On Tuesday Mayfield walked past former Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship during camp for the Tampa Bay Bucs, and said: “I still don’t like you.”
He shouldn’t.
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With only six seconds in the first half Mayfield pulled in a two-yard touchdown reception to give Oklahoma a commanding 31-14 lead. But two huge special teams plays followed, and started the ball rolling to Georgia beating the Sooners in overtime that night in California.
First, Oklahoma’s kickoff after the Mayfield touchdown reception was fielded by the Dawgs at the Oklahoma 47-yard line. Jake Fromm hit Terry Godwin for a nine-yard completion before calling timeout. The back-to-back plays gave the Dawgs a long look at a field goal attempt.
Blankenship hit a 55-yard attempt as time expired in the first half. Then the Dawgs went to work at the half.
“Defense, you guys are going to go out there and get a three and out,” Kirby told the team in the locker room. “Guys they played the best half of football they’ve played all season, and we played one of our worst.”
Fromm’s demeanor didn’t change. This was the most important game the Dawgs had played in decades, and those in Silver Britches were losing by two touchdowns, but that didn’t seem to phase the true freshman.
“Everyone’s head was down,” Former UGA QB Brice Ramsey told Dawg Post in 2019. “I thought it was done at the half. But Kirby just kind of sparked something. He basically told the defense they were going to turn it around, and that’s what happened.”
Indeed.
Mayfield had throw for nearly 200 yards scored on a trick play.
15 minutes later the game was tied. Georgia’s defense forced three Sooner three-and-outs in the third quarter to snatch momentum in the game. Roquan Smith and company boxed Mayfield and the Sooners’ offense in. They managed only one more offensive touchdown the game.
But it was overtime when the Dawgs’ special teams took over again - Blankenship’s 38-yard field goal was matched by Austin Seibert’s 33-yarder in the first overtime. But when the Sooners line up for the go-ahead FG in the second overtime it was blocked by Lorenzo Carter.
Blankenship wasn’t on the field when Sony Michel streaked into the end zone to win the game and send the Dawgs to Atlanta, but he was the catalyst for Georgia’s massive comeback. It was one of the greatest games in Rose Bowl and Georgia history.
And Mayfield still doesn’t like it.
With both Blankenship and Mayfield in Tamp Bay, the Buccaneers have +600 odds to win the NFC South in 2023 according to FanDuel.
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