With a chance to tie the game, former Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship stared down a 42-yard field goal in double overtime against South Carolina. What happened next put the first blemish on the Bulldogs’ 2019 season.

Blankenship, who won the 2019 Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top place kicker, missed just outside the goal post. The Gamecocks flooded Sanford Stadium in celebration after defeating Georgia 20-17.

Now, with South Carolina returning to Athens, the Bulldogs aren’t thinking about the sting of their last meeting with the Gamecocks. They’re focusing instead on the upcoming challenge.

“That was brought up some last year. I think it was more relevant last year, a lot more similarities in their team last year and their staff,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “What happened last time they were here was really about us, not about them.”

At the time of the upset at the hands of South Carolina, Georgia was ranked No. 3 and 5-0 on the season. The Gamecocks were 2-3 and unranked, coming off a 24-7 win over Kentucky. One week after beating Georgia, South Carolina lost to Florida 38-27.

Despite the conference loss, Georgia still went to the SEC championship. The Bulldogs were defeated 37-10 by LSU before defeating Baylor 26-14 in the Sugar Bowl.

“Playing an SEC team is going to be tough every week,” running back Kenny McIntosh said about South Carolina. “We always have that in the back of our heads because we never want to have that feeling. That has nothing to do with this team.”

This year, both teams are entering the game undefeated and looking to start their SEC schedule with a win. Georgia enters the game as a heavy favorite at home, with a 94.9% chance to win, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

The last time Georgia took the field against South Carolina in Athens, Jake Fromm, Georgia’s starting quarterback at the time, threw for 295 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions.

The Bulldogs’ leading rusher was D’Andre Swift, who ran for 113 yards and one touchdown. George Pickens was Georgia’s leading receiver with 98 yards. Swift and Fromm are currently in the NFL while Pickens is out with an ACL tear.

Most of Georgia’s roster was not a part of the 2019 team, with 67 underclassmen players and 10 players transferring in before the 2021 season. That means the majority of this year’s Bulldogs have only played South Carolina in 2020, a 45-16 win for Georgia in Columbia, South Carolina. In the last meeting between these two teams, quarterback JT Daniels threw for 139 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. James Cook and Zamir White both rushed for two touchdowns while McIntosh had 79 yards.

Similar to the last time South Carolina visited Sanford Stadium, the Bulldogs are highly ranked and looking to continue their strong start to the season. This time, the team is focused and hoping to avoid deja vu in their matchup against the Gamecocks.

Printed with permission from the Red & Black independent student media organization based in Athens, Ga.; redandblack.com/sports