Georgia’s offense found plenty of juice without Nate Frazier, and the Bulldogs leaned on a fresh wave of young backs to keep Oklahoma at arm’s length in a 41-13 win Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
Junior Dwight Phillips Jr. delivered the biggest punch. He finished with a game-high 84 rushing yards on just eight carries, highlighted by a career-long 54-yard touchdown burst that put the game out of reach in the second half. Chauncey Bowens handled the early damage, scoring twice in the first half while finishing with nine carries for 26 yards.
The No. 2 Bulldogs were efficient on both sides of the playbook, and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo kept the attack balanced. Georgia ran for 129 yards on 26 attempts and threw for 177 yards on 27 passes, a mix that let the Bulldogs control the game against the SEC’s top scoring defense entering the day.
Kirby Smart made it clear he liked what he saw from Phillips.
“We’ve got to get Peanut (Phillips) more touches and find ways to get him the ball,” Smart said. “I mean, that, that’s what we saw all spring and fall.
We just got to get more opportunities. And some of these leads have hurt our opportunities to get him in because, you know, you want to protect him too.
“You don’t want him out there taking hits when you’re up 30 points on somebody. I was really proud of him today. His ball security, his hitting the hole … “
Bowens also showed some versatility, turning a short pass into a 24-yard gain and powering through contact on both of his touchdown runs. Still, Smart wanted more from the group overall, especially after Bowens put the ball on the ground in the second half.
“We gotta hang onto the ball, gotta get more yards after contact,” Smart said. “We talk about Dawg yards, and if we’re gonna be an elite team they’ve got to turn 3-yard runs into 5-yard runs, (and) they gotta turn 5-yard runs into 7-yard runs. They gotta get yards after contact, and I don’t know that we actually did that today.”
Georgia’s early cushion came quickly. The Bulldogs led 28-0 at halftime, helped along by two Oklahoma turnovers that directly turned into 14 points.
“I think we played against a really good defense, really good defense,” Smart said, “but we did not knock them out, blow by blow take them out of the game like we wanted to with physicality. We’ve got to do a better job of that.”
Bo Walker chipped in with three carries for 11 yards, and tight end Jaden Reddell added a little burst on a jet sweep that picked up 8 yards after he broke a few tackles.
Gunner Stockton’s rushing totals were modest, but he still showed enough mobility to keep Oklahoma honest. He had two 5-yard scrambles, while the Sooners also got to him for a 2-yard sack and dropped him 6 yards behind the line on a designed run. Another carry went nowhere.
Stockton’s day wasn’t flashy, but Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said he avoided the kind of mistakes that hurt Sooners quarterback John Mateer.
“We held the ball some and that created some opportunities for Georgia to sack us,” Venables said. “The flip side, Georgia wasn’t going to take a sack, that quarterback took the ball and he launched it and had one of his most inefficient days that he’s had in a couple years.”
Even without Frazier, Georgia’s ground game did enough to open up the passing attack, and Stockton took advantage with a few downfield shots. He went 14-of-25 for 171 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Stockton said the backs behind him answered the call.
“I would love to have had Nate out there, he’s a great player and great teammate, but I thought Peanut - Dwight - he had a great run, he played his butt off, he’s one of the most explosive guys on the field,” Stockton said. “And Chauncey had a good day, he had some good runs, they played really hard.
“I think we were doing what we do all week and what we prepared for, it’s whatever is called and just go execute it.”
In Other News...
Dwight Phillips Jr. Is Making Georgia Reconsider His Role
Dwight Phillips Jr. has given Georgia another reason to keep looking for touches in the backfield. The junior running back flashed that burst against Oklahoma with a 54-yard touchdown run, and he added to his night by making a key special teams tackle, the kind of all-around showing that tends to catch Kirby Smarts attention.
Phillips has also changed physically since arriving in Athens, adding strength and weight that have helped turn his speed into more consistent production. Smart has already pointed to his explosiveness and patience, and with the way Phillips is trending, Georgia appears to be rethinking how much more it can build around him on offense. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias Top 2027 Pledge Suddenly Brings Real Recruiting Doubt
Kemon Spells pledge has been one of the headline pieces of Georgias 2027 class since he committed in February, but the recruiting picture around the No. 1 running back in the cycle has gotten a little more complicated. According to 247Sports, another major college football program is now pushing for the Georgia commit, adding an unexpected wrinkle to what had looked like a clean early hold for the Bulldogs.
It is the first reported sign that Spell may be open to looking beyond Athens, though the specifics remain under wraps. The other school has not been disclosed publicly, and the exact nature of Spells interest is still unknown, leaving Georgia with at least one fresh recruiting question to monitor as the 2027 cycle develops. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Has Two Reasons To Take Vanderbilt More Seriously
Georgia heads into Saturdays matchup with Vanderbilt carrying plenty of the usual SEC expectations, sitting 4-0 and ranked No. 2 nationally. The Bulldogs are heavy favorites, but this is not just a routine tune-up on paper, with Vanderbilt bringing a 3-1 record and a little more intrigue than the average league opponent. Kickoff is set for 12:45 p.m. EST on the SEC Network, with streaming available on the ESPN app and Fubo TV.
The extra attention comes from a couple of familiar names, starting with the health of Georgia back Nate Frazier as the Bulldogs get ready to sort out their rotation. Then there is Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis, who is expected to start against Georgia after flipping his commitment from the Bulldogs to the Commodores, adding a personal subplot to a game that already has more edge than the point spread suggests. [Read more 🡒]