Tag: rodrigo blankenship stats

Former Georgia star ‘Hot Rod’ tops Pro Bowl voting among AFC kickers

Former Georgia Bulldogs star K Rodrigo Blankenship leads AFC kickers in Pro Bowl voting. Hot Rod has played well for the Indianapolis Colts

Former Georgia Bulldogs star kicker Rodrigo Blankenship leads AFC kickers in Pro Bowl voting. ‘Hot Rod’ went undrafted, but has been a standout after winning the starting job for the Indianapolis Colts.

Blankenship got off to an excellent start for the Colts. He has not been scoring as much recently. The University of Georgia great did make a game-winning kick against the Green Bay Packers to win 34-31 in overtime.

His heroic efforts make him worthy of a Pro Bowl vote this year. Blankenship along with fellow Georgia Bulldogs Justin Houston, Roquan Smith, Ben Jones, David Andrews, and more are deserving Pro Bowl candidates.

On the year, Rodrigo Blankenship has made 24 out of 27 field goal attempts. He has connected of 27 out of 30 extra point attempts as well. Blankenship has made the fourth most field goals of any kicker in the NFL. He ranks fifth in the NFL in points with 102.

Blankenship is a key reason why the Colts are 8-4 this season and in the AFC Playoff hunt.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the 2021 NFL Pro Bowl will not be played. As an alternative, the Pro Bowl will be held virtually and the contest will be streamed via Madden NFL 21. The game was originally scheduled to be played at brand-new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Jan. 31. 
Voting continues through Dec. 17.

Fans can vote for Rodrigo Blankenship by Retweeting this:

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Rodrigo Blankenship hits game winning FG for Colts

Former Georgia football K Rodrigo Blankenship hits game winning 39-yard FG for the Colts in overtime.

It has been quite the rookie NFL season for former Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship.

After being passed on in the 2020 NFL Draft, Blankenship signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent.  The Georgia legend is now starting to make a name for himself around the NFL.

Hot Rod drilled a game winning 39 yard field goal against the Packers on Sunday to secure a 34 – 31 victory in overtime.

Blankenship has been money all year, going 19/21 (90.5%) on field goals and 23/25 (92%) on extra points so far.  He leads the NFL in points scored with 94 total points.  That’s pretty good for the walk-on, undrafted free agent out of Athens.

The NFL has officially been put on notice.  It’s time to start respecting the specs.

Hot Rod off to a historic start for Indianapolis Colts

Former Georgia Bulldog kicker Rodrigo Blankenship is off to a historic start for the Indianapolis Colts.

Former Georgia Bulldog kicker Rodrigo Blankenship is off to a historic start for the Indianapolis Colts. Blankenship signed an undrafted free agent deal with Indianapolis following the 2020 NFL Draft.

Blankenship won the Lou Groza award at UGA last season.

‘Hot Rod’ has made 12 of 14 fields goals (85.7%) to start the 2020 NFL season. 12 made field goals through four games as a rookie is topped by only three other kickers in NFL history. Additionally, Blankenship is 9 for 9 on extra point attempts. Note that the NFL has a much longer extra point than college.

Overall, the former Georgia kicker has scored 45 total points through his first four games. This is another historic figure. Three players (Harrison Butker, Jeff Reed, and Richie Cunningham) have scored over 45 points as a kicker to start their careers.

Hopefully Blankenship is able to continue his historic start. The Colts will look to move to 4-1 this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.

Look for Hot Rod to be challenged even more throughout the season. Thus far, Blankenship has a long of 44 yards and hasn’t attempted a kick over 50 yards. That will change. Indianapolis has been a defensive-minded team to begin the season and Blankenship’s points have been key for them having a 3-1 record and one of the AFC’s better records.

Stats are per an Andrew Walker Tweet:

Twitter reacts: UGA’s Rodrigo Blankenship wins Lou Groza Award

Georgia Bulldog kicker Rodrigo Blankenship won the Lou Groza Award over Iowa’s Keith Duncan and Washington State’s Blake Mazza.

Georgia Bulldog kicker Rodrigo Blankenship won the Lou Groza Award over Iowa’s Keith Duncan and Washington State’s Blake Mazza. Rodrigo Blankenship won the Lou Groza fan vote thanks to Bulldog fans.

Blankenship made all 44 of his extra points on the season. He went 25-31 on field goals with a long of fifty yards. Bulldog fans will miss him, but he likely has a career at the next level in the NFL. He will leave Athens as the Georgia’s all-time leading scorer.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to Rodrigo winning the award:

Not everybody was happy with Rodrigo winning the Award:

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Georgia football’s Rodrigo Blankenship named Lou Groza Award finalist

Georgia Bulldog all-time leading scorer Rodrigo Blankenship has been named a Lou Groza finalist along with Blake Mazza and Keith Duncan.

Georgia Bulldog all-time leading scorer Rodrigo Blankenship has been named a Lou Groza Award finalist. The Lou Groza Award is give annually to the nation’s top kicker.

Blankenship had a special senior day against Texas A&M, where Brian Herrien gave him the honors of running through the “G”. Blankenship went 4-4 on the day in wet, rainy conditions including a 49 yard long. The Bulldogs may not have won 19-13 without him.

The other finalist for the Lou Groza Award are: Iowa’s Keith Duncan and Washington State’s Blake Mazza. Who’s going to win the award?

UGA’s Rodrigo Blankenship is 23 out of 26 on the season and has made all 36 of his extra points. Blankenship sports a long of 50 yards, but is 3-4 on tries fifty yards and longer. Blankenship owned up to his painful miss against South Carolina. Each of his misses are forty yards or longer. Only ten of Blankenship’s field goals have been returned this season.

Iowa’s Keith Duncan is 27 out of 32 on the season. Duncan leads the nation in field goals and is perfect on his 22 point after tries. Duncan has a long of 49 yards on the season.

Washington State’s Blake Mazza has made 18 of his 19 field goals on the season. Mazza has a long of 51 yards and his 94.7% accuracy rate is the NCAA’s best for any kicker with multiple field goals from over 50 yards. Mazza has attempted just four field goals beyond forty yards.

Georgia fans will think Blankenship should win the Lou Groza Award, but there’s still a couple of weeks left for Georgia (but not for the Iowa Hawkeyes or Washington State Cougars). Blankenship has some big-kicks ahead of him. Bulldog fans will be able to vote for Blankenship to win the award very soon.

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