Georgia has already checked off the easy part of September. It beat the teams it was expected to beat. Now the Bulldogs get a game that can tell them more.
Saturday’s visit from Oklahoma brings Georgia into its SEC home opener against a defense that has carried the Sooners while the offense has sputtered. The Bulldogs rolled through Arkansas 45-17 on the road last week, piling up 254 rushing yards and never needing Gunner Stockton to do too much through the air. Stockton still finished with 244 total yards, including a career-high 97 on the ground, while Chauncey Bowens scored three times and Nate Frazier added 75 yards and another touchdown.
That performance was useful. This one could be revealing.
Oklahoma comes to Athens after a 17-10 loss at Michigan and a 14-6 win over New Mexico, a stretch that has put plenty of pressure on the Sooners’ defense. Against the Lobos, Oklahoma allowed just 185 yards.
A week earlier, it held Michigan to 263 total yards. But the offense led by John Mateer has not been able to make much of those stops.
That tension sets up the biggest question of the day: can Georgia still run the ball when the other side knows it is coming? Arkansas gave the Bulldogs very little resistance.
Georgia averaged more than six yards per carry, Stockton broke a 62-yard run, and the backs kept the offense on schedule while the passing game stayed in the background. Oklahoma should be a different story.
The Sooners held New Mexico to 69 rushing yards and limited Michigan to 263 total yards, making them the first opponent this season with the personnel to seriously challenge Georgia’s ground game.
The next test is whether Stockton can handle what comes when the run game gets squeezed. He was efficient at Arkansas, going 10-of-13 for 147 yards and a touchdown.
Good enough, sure. But his 97 rushing yards were the real difference.
Oklahoma should be much better prepared to keep him contained. Georgia does not need Stockton to throw all day, but it may need him to make plays from the pocket, work through tighter coverage and deliver when the quarterback run is no longer the safety valve.
There is also the running back situation to watch closely. Frazier left the Arkansas game in the third quarter after carrying 14 times for 75 yards.
Kirby Smart said afterward that Frazier could have returned, which is at least a positive sign, but Georgia now has a short week of evaluation before facing its best defensive opponent yet. If Frazier is limited, Bowens’ three-touchdown afternoon becomes even more important.
The Bulldogs need enough depth at the position to stay true to their identity.
On the other side, Georgia’s defense has to make Oklahoma’s offensive issues travel. The Sooners have scored 24 points over their last two games.
Mateer completed 17 of 33 passes for 189 yards against Michigan, and Oklahoma still lost despite outgaining the Wolverines. Against New Mexico, Mateer eventually threw two touchdown passes, but the offense again had to grind for everything it got.
Georgia’s defense, which held Arkansas to 17 rushing yards and kept the Razorbacks off the board in the first half, will try to force the Sooners into long drives instead of giving them short fields or easy explosives.
And then there’s the start. Georgia has spent the first three weeks making games feel over quickly.
It led Arkansas 21-3 at halftime and has outscored its first three opponents 56-0 in the first quarter and 105-12 before halftime. That kind of head start matters even more against Oklahoma.
The Sooners’ defense is good enough to turn a sluggish opening into a full-day fight, and their offense is much easier to manage when Brent Venables can play from ahead.
Georgia does not need a blowout this time. It does need to make Oklahoma chase.
In Other News...
Five-Star Kellan Hall Just Gave Georgia Fans A Reason To Watch
Five-star recruit Kellan Hall is back on the road this week, and Georgia will get an important in-person look as he visits Athens during the Bulldogs game against Oklahoma. Hall has already drawn plenty of attention on the recruiting trail, and while Oklahoma has long been viewed as the predicted landing spot, he remains uncommitted and has kept Georgia in his top 10.
The timing of the visit makes it especially notable for Georgia fans, since it comes with the Sooners in town and adds another layer to a high-profile matchup. Even with Oklahoma still considered the favorite, Halls presence in Athens gives Georgia a real chance to make a late impression, and it keeps his recruitment very much worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia's Biggest Edge Vs Oklahoma Just Got More Important
Oklahoma is heading into its matchup with Georgia already dealing with issues up front, and those problems only sharpen the focus on where this game could be won or lost. Brent Venables confirmed that left tackle Michael Fasusi is out and defensive tackle David Stone is questionable, a development that puts even more pressure on a Sooners team trying to withstand one of the SECs most physical fronts.
Venables framed the meeting as the kind of game where line play matters as much as anything else, and that is exactly why Georgia will view this as a chance to lean on its size and depth. With the Sooners preparing for a difficult night and a few key pieces uncertain, the Bulldogs biggest edge now looks even more significant than it did at the start of the week. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Just Got A Massive Backcourt Boost For March Push
For a Georgia program trying to keep its momentum rolling into another March run, the latest news in the backcourt matters. Blue Cain and Marcus Millender both turned down transfer interest and will return for their senior seasons, giving Mike White a pair of experienced guards who already know the demands of playing in this system and the expectations that come with it.
White said both players had been presented with lucrative opportunities elsewhere, but chose to stay and help build on the Bulldogs recent NCAA Tournament appearances. Millenders decision carries an added family angle, too, with the chance to suit up alongside his older brother Kemauri after his recent move to Athens, giving Georgia a little more continuity and a little more depth where it can least afford to lose either. [Read more 🡒]