Oklahoma’s first trip between the hedges has landed at the worst possible moment for Brent Venables’ team.
The Sooners have already slipped out of the AP Top 25 after a flat performance against New Mexico, and now they walk into Athens facing the No. 2 Bulldogs with a quarterback-coordinator pairing that hasn’t looked right.
John Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle were supposed to give Oklahoma a sharp, quarterback-driven attack. Instead, the offense has stalled through September, with drives ending too often before they become points.
Mateer has looked uneasy, Arbuckle’s fixes haven’t changed much, and the margin for error is getting thinner by the week.
That’s a brutal place to be with Georgia waiting on the other side.
Kirby Smart’s team is coming off a blowout of Arkansas in its SEC opener and still looks like one of the sport’s top teams. Oklahoma, meanwhile, is heading into Saturday as a near two-touchdown underdog and trying to avoid getting overwhelmed by pressure and another road environment after losing at Michigan in Week 2.
There is history here, even if it’s limited. The only previous meeting between these programs came in the 2017 CFP semifinal at the Rose Bowl, when Georgia outlasted Oklahoma 54-48 in a classic.
Baker Mayfield and the Sooners ran out of time that night, and the Bulldogs moved on to the national championship game. Now the matchup serves as a measuring stick again, especially for Oklahoma after dropping out of the rankings.
Georgia’s ground game is another major problem for the Sooners to solve. Nate Frazier is expected to play after leaving the Arkansas game with an ankle injury, and Kirby Smart said this week he could have returned if the Bulldogs had needed him.
Frazier has been a huge part of Georgia’s fast start, averaging 8.4 yards per carry with five touchdowns. The Bulldogs lead the nation in scoring at 59.3 points per game, and their rushing attack ranks third in the SEC.
Oklahoma’s run defense is 11th in the conference.
The one area where Oklahoma can hang its hat is on defense. So can Georgia.
Through three weeks, the Sooners and Bulldogs are the SEC’s two best total defenses, and Oklahoma has allowed just two touchdowns, a number topped nationally only by Indiana and Iowa. Venables will want this game dragged into the mud - fewer possessions, longer drives, and as little room as possible for Georgia’s offense to breathe.
That’s Oklahoma’s clearest path to making this competitive.
Even so, the quarterback picture tilts hard toward Georgia. Gunner Stockton has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the Power Four, with only Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss and Miami’s Darian Mensah sitting ahead of him.
Stockton has been rolling, while Mateer’s confidence and rhythm have taken a hit. That gap matters.
Unless Oklahoma finds something offensively that it hasn’t shown yet against a quality opponent, this has the feel of a one-sided afternoon. A score like 31-7 wouldn’t be a surprise. Pick: Under 43.5 points
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Reggie Powers III Is Giving Oklahoma Real Confidence Before Georgia
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Oklahomas defense has opened SEC play on a strong note, leading the conference in scoring defense and passing defense after three weeks, and Powers has become part of the reason for that confidence. With Georgia next, he stressed the need for the whole unit to keep working together, which is exactly the sort of message a young starter can amplify when the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]